I want to help Japan win the World Cup in four years. Special Interview with Shi-Oh Fukuda

I wanted to be an overseas player since I was a child, so I was very happy when I got the offer. That’s why I was so happy when I got the offer.

Shio Fukuda, 18, a junior at Kamimura Gakuen High School (Kagoshima), says with an innocent smile on his face. His strong physicality and scoring ability have earned him a contract with Borussia Monchengladbach (Borussia MG), a five-time league champions in Germany’s first division, in the spring.

I took part in Borussia MG’s training last summer,” he said. I had a good response, and after the training session, the person concerned told me that they were considering an offer. I was officially contacted in mid-September, and I think it was around the end of September that I finally decided to join the club.

He said he had offers from 10 teams in the J-League. Nevertheless, the reason he insisted on trying out overseas was the presence of the Hinomaru Warriors, who had made such a great showing at the World Cup.

When I participated in the team’s training in Germany last summer, I had a chance to have dinner with Yoshida-san (Maya, 34) and Itakura-san (Koh, 26). Yoshida-san told me, ‘If you want to learn the world standard, come here right now. Itakura-san, who plays for Borussia MG, also encouraged me, saying, “If you come overseas while you are young, you will see the world differently. He also told me about the team, “We value each and every one of you, and there is no doubt that we have the ability to develop you. I was told that the team ‘cares about each and every one of its members, and its ability to train them is unquestionable,’ which made me want to join the team.

The presence of an admirer also encouraged him to try his luck overseas.

Ever since I met him in the spring of my third year of high school, Mr. Doyasu (Ritsu, 24) always told me, ‘Hurry up and go overseas. I often heard him say, ‘I wanted to go abroad as soon as possible. I was influenced by his greedy attitude.

In the past, there have been only a few cases of high school graduates who have suddenly joined a top league team overseas. Ryo Miyaichi, 30, who joined the English first division powerhouse Arsenal from Chukyo University Chukyo (Aichi) in 2011, is still fresh in our memories, but he was unable to establish himself in the top team. That is why Fukuda says he wants to be a success story.

Of course I am anxious,” he said. But I chose this path because I believe I can grow as I participate in local training and exchange words with the older players. If there is no precedent, I think I should create one.

Behind his quiet fighting spirit lies his experience in high school, where he overcame setbacks.

When I was a freshman in the under-16 national team, I was the only one who played only 15 minutes in the entire tournament. I was shocked to see how many players were better than me. The challenge was the physical aspect. So, with the help of my mother, I started eating three bowls of rice at every meal. At the national team, I was taught tube training and muscle training to strengthen my torso, and my weight has increased by 16 kg since entering the school. My physical strength has grown to the point where I can now say it is my strong point.

Fukuda is about to take a big step toward the dream he has always dreamed of. He says that his biggest concern now is the language barrier, “I have never been good at studying (laughs). It will take me a while to be able to speak German,” she says with a bashful smile. Still, when asked about his future goals, he spoke emphatically of his ambitions.

I want to play in the World Cup in four years and help Japan win. In order to achieve this, I want to achieve good results in Germany and become a player who can carry Japan on his back.

The young warrior’s challenge to become an ace for Japan, which is suffering from a lack of scoring power, has begun.

From the February 10, 2023 issue of FRIDAY