The Dawn of Japanese Soccer: The “Barrier of the Times” that Prevented Shinji Ono from Transferring to a Powerful Overseas Club
Thinking about the transfer of Japanese players to overseas clubs
The 2011 J-League season came to a close with Vissel Kobe’s first J1 championship, a long-cherished dream for the club that boasts an all-star lineup of former Japan representatives, including Yuya Osako (33), Hotaru Yamaguchi (33), and Takanori Sakai (32).
As is the case every year, as the year draws to a close, there will be players who will leave their uniforms for the rest of the year. The biggest news this year was the retirement of Shinji Ono (44, Sapporo), a former member of the Japan national team who played in three World Cups in France in 1998, Japan and Korea in 2002, and Germany in 2006.
When he announced his retirement on September 27, he made the following comment.
My legs, which have been my partner for 39 years, have asked me to give them a rest, so I have decided to stop my career as a professional soccer player after this season.
In addition to the great fantasista, this year, Masashi Motoyama (44, Kashima Academy scout), Naoyasu Takahara (44, Okinawa SV national team coach and player), Yuta Minami (44, Omiya), and other members of the “golden generation” born in 1979 have decided to retire one after another. ‘ It is truly sad to see the stars of the ’90s and ’00s leave the pitch.
The runner-up finish at the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria is symbolic, but it is an undeniable fact that this generation was the driving force behind the great leap forward in Japanese soccer. They were also the ones who made the breakthrough in the now common practice of transferring overseas.
