‘There are problems, but he is a legend’…Former Japanese national team soccer player Hisato Sato “after” his “adulterous love affair” with a therapist.

On December 21, ’24, “Sanfrecce Hiroshima Legend Match 2024” was held at the EDION Peace Wing Hiroshima, and former Japan national team player Hisato Sato (42) participated. He appeared in a short-sleeved uniform in the bitterly cold weather of 11 degrees Celsius and light rain. He wowed the fans with his sharp movements, just as he did during his active career.

The news of Sato’s affair with a younger therapist came as a big surprise to fans. Let’s look back based on the article we distributed on May 7, 2012.

Haru-like beauty.

She said, “Hey~. Do you have something on your mouth?”

A man peeks into the face of a woman with such a sweet expression on her face. They looked at each other and smiled. Walking hand in hand down a deserted alleyway, the two men lock lips with each other…

It was a weekend in mid-April 2012. The man immersed in a “private world” in Shinbashi (Minato Ward), Tokyo, a place crowded with salarymen, was former Japanese national team soccer player Hisato Sato. He was wearing black top and bottom and sunglasses, perhaps as a disguise.

Sato is a legendary striker who played for Japan’s national team and has scored 220 goals in the J-League, making him the all-time leading scorer. Since his retirement in 2008, he has been active as a commentator and holds soccer schools in various locations. He is also known as a loving wife and father of many children. He married his wife at the age of 21, whom he met shortly after his debut as a professional soccer player. He has a house in Hiroshima City and is blessed with three sons. All three of them have followed the path of soccer in admiration of their great father,” said a member of the Japan Football Association.

However, the person standing next to Sato on that day was not his wife of more than 20 years. Who was she with?

The other party is a 30-something general woman, Ms. A, who works as a therapist. She is a beautiful woman with a cute smile and looks like Haru, an actress. In fact, Ms. A and Sato have been having an affair for a year,” said an acquaintance of Sato.

Sato, who does a lot of work in Tokyo such as commentary and TV appearances, is currently working alone. On the day in question, he visited Ms. A’s apartment in her car, parked the car in the parking lot with a familiar hand, and they went out together into the night.

They enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant in Shimbashi for about an hour starting at 7:30 p.m. On the way home, they were in a lovey-dovey mood, as shown at the beginning of this article. Even though they were disguised with sunglasses, they were bold enough not to let go of Mr. A’s hand even for a single moment on the main street. After the first kiss in the alley, they kissed while searching for the second restaurant. When he kissed her again, he kissed her again. After we completed the “hat trick of kissing on the street,” we went into Mr. A’s apartment without stopping at the second one. Sato did not return home after the last train that day.

We will continue our relationship.”

Sato met Ms. A after she retired in ’20. At that time, they were a therapist and a client, but they began an affair in ’23. Sato moved out of the apartment where he was working alone in April ’24, and the new house was in the neighborhood about a 15-minute walk from Ms. A’s house. I think the decision to move was solely for work. …… If it was to spend more time with Ms. A, I feel too sorry for the family.”

In an interview with a Hiroshima Prefecture child abuse prevention website, Sato expressed his gratitude to his wife, saying, “My family provided me with an environment where I could concentrate on my career as an athlete. We interviewed Sato directly after he returned home from work.

–I’d like to know if you are in a relationship with Mr. A.?

Yes. ……. Yes.

He admitted to the affair surprisingly easily. The first thing he did was to ask a question.

I have told my wife about the existence of Mr. A. My first and second sons also know about it. I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it’s a good idea. It may sound selfish to say it like this, but I also told them that …… my feelings are toward Mr. A. Of course, I told Mr. A about his wife’s existence as well. Of course, I have told Mr. A about his wife’s existence.”

–Are you discussing divorce?

Yes, we are. To be more precise, last year (2011), I could hardly go home to Hiroshima because of work. At that time, my wife didn’t show me any kind of appreciation for my work, and she sometimes said to me, ‘Maybe you’re just playing with yourself. These things piled up, and I felt disconnected.

–So you are in a serious relationship with Mr. A on the premise of divorce?

Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I don’t know if I will marry Mr. A, but I will continue dating him.

–You are moving to a place in Mr. A’s neighborhood, though, right?

Yes, that’s because it’s convenient for my work.

After about 10 minutes of explanation, Sato got on the train and left for home.

He said, “Even though we are in the middle of a discussion, your wife has not forgiven you for the affair. I have heard that she is so stressed that she has been driven to the point of hospitalization. She also does not want a divorce for the sake of their children,” said a former acquaintance of Sato.

I did not want to see the legend score a treacherous goal as the “striker of the night.

Facing Myself and My Family”

On June 2, 2012, more than a month after this report (first published on April 25, 2012), Sato updated her Instagram page,

I apologize for the trouble I have caused you with my personal affairs.

He also wrote an apology,

I would like to face myself and my family once again, and also sincerely face soccer, the sport that raised me.

He also posted the following words of apology. When this magazine directly interviewed him, he said that he was discussing divorce, but he did not mention it. However, an alumnus of the Japanese national team who knows the situation well said

I heard that even though there was the affair, his wife said she would never divorce him. Hisato is determined to start over, and he has continued to purify himself with the aim of returning to the world of soccer.

Thanks to his efforts, he appeared in the “Dream Soccer in Higashiosaka City” held at the Hanazono Rugby Ground in Higashiosaka City on July 21, ’24, when his participation was in doubt.’ On September 6, ’24, he also made his return as a commentator on “DAZN,” which distributed the North and Central American W Cup Asian final qualifying match against China.

However, his return has been met with critical comments on social networking sites, such as, “He’s back, and he’s back!　It is also true that there have been critical comments on social networking sites about his return. And when he participated in the Sanfrecce-Hiroshima Legends Match mentioned earlier, social networking sites were as critical as ever, with comments such as, “He shouldn’t be out there,” and “He’s playing soccer without a second thought. On the other hand, there were also comments such as, “There may be many problems, but Hisato Sato is a legend. For Sanfrecce fans, Sato is a legend, and there is no doubt that he is the man of their dreams.

I hope that he will continue to be a family man and a soccer player with sincerity.