[Full Text Published] “Why Mitoma?”… Ikio Matsumoto, Coach Moriyasu’s Mentor, Reveals the Words He Gave to “The Man Who Never Makes Mistakes”

During their time at Mazda—the predecessor to Sanfrecce—they were seniors and juniors.
After he became national team coach, they met for meals on numerous occasions and exchanged emails.
They discussed how to build the strongest team—

――Why has the Japanese national team become so strong?

The Olympics were held 58 years ago in Mexico, one of the host countries for the North and Central America World Cup. The Japanese national soccer team achieved the remarkable feat of winning the bronze medal. When Ikuo Matsumoto (84), one of the three forwards on that team, posed the question mentioned at the beginning, Head Coach Hajime Moriyasu (57) reportedly replied with just one phrase:

“We’re… no longer Japanese.”

Mr. Matsumoto interpreted these words as encapsulating the current state of Japanese soccer.

“Japanese people have a tendency to devote themselves to the team even at the expense of their own individuality. While that is a positive aspect of Japanese culture, it can also be a mindset ill-suited to soccer.In baseball, the manager and coaches can give instructions—such as bunting or stealing a base—at any time, but soccer doesn’t work that way. Once the match starts, the players must make their own decisions on the spot. ‘Individual ability’ is essential. They must express ‘themselves.’ For a long time, Japanese players have lacked that ‘expressiveness.’”

The Source of Moriyasu Japan’s Strength

The only exception was the Japanese national team at the Mexico Olympics.In an era when dedication to the team was highly valued, there was a striker named Kunishige Kamamoto—an “individual” who was utterly focused on scoring goals. What Mr. Matsumoto still remembers vividly is the on-field interaction between Kamamoto and his senior teammate, Shigeo Yaegashi, who was more than 10 years his senior.

“At the time, Mr. Yaegashi was the only player in the history of Japanese soccer to have competed in the Olympics three times. As captain and a midfielder, Mr. Yaegashi was a devotee of Total Football, and he reprimanded Kamamoto, saying, ‘Gama, why aren’t you defending?’ To which Kamamoto retorted to his senior teammate:‘Senior, isn’t the point just to score goals?’ In the national team back then, Kamamoto was the only one who wasn’t ‘Japanese.’

But things are different now. Nearly 200 players are competing in Europe. In a world where they must develop their own style of soccer, express it, and earn a starting spot—or else their salaries won’t rise—they’ve been forged through that competition, and their individual skills have been honed. When these players returned to the national team and combined that with the Japanese spirit of cooperation, “Moriyasu’s Japan” was born.At long last, the Japanese national team has become what soccer players are truly meant to be.”

Mr. Matsumoto and Coach Moriyasu were senior and junior colleagues at Toyo Kogyo (now Mazda), the predecessor of Sanfrecce Hiroshima. In 1998, when Mr. Matsumoto served as general manager of Kyoto Purple Sanga (now Kyoto Sanga), he was involved in negotiations to sign Coach Moriyasu, who was still an active player at the time.Since Coach Moriyasu took the helm of the Japanese national team, the two have been “meeting for dinner and discussing things about twice a year,” he says. It was during one of those meals that the question posed at the beginning of this interview came up. How does “Hajime Moriyasu” appear in his eyes?

“His judgment is flawless. He takes his time and makes decisions calmly. He never acts hastily and makes mistakes. I imagine there’s a lot of pressure that comes with being the manager of the Japanese national team, but he never loses his composure. During his playing days, Moriyasu was a defensive midfielder, so he has the ability to anticipate dangerous situations and positions—he’s a great reader of the game. I think that comes through in his conduct as a manager.”

It has been eight years since Coach Moriyasu took the helm of the Japanese national team. Mr. Matsumoto evaluates his tenure as a manager, noting, “His management skills really shine.”

“The coaching staff is excellent. It’s not just Toshihide Saito and Ryoichi Maeda, who get along well with Hajime Moriyasu, but also Hiroshi Nanami, who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Former national team captain Makoto Hasebe joined in 2024, and Shunsuke Nakamura came on board for this World Cup. It’s a group that clearly conveys the intention to ‘let the coaches do their jobs.’He’s given a lot of thought to how to handle the high-level players on the national team. Moriyasu doesn’t make any gaffes, does he? He also has almost no conflicts with the players. This is actually no easy feat. He always respects others and brings out the best in them. You can really see his character shining through.”

Daichi Kamada’s Position Is the Focus

There was one occasion when Mr. Matsumoto raised an objection to Coach Hajime Moriyasu’s tactical decisions: the use of Kaoru Mitoma (29) during the Tokyo Olympics.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable to give orders or advice to the national team coach. However, during the Tokyo Olympics, after we lost to Spain in the semifinals, I sent Moriyasu an email asking, ‘Why aren’t you using Mitoma?’ In the third-place match against Mexico that followed, Mitoma came on as a substitute.We lost the match 1–3, but Mitoma scored Japan’s only goal.”

Mitoma later came off the bench against Australia—a match that secured Japan’s spot in the Qatar World Cup—and scored two goals. Mr. Matsumoto viewed him as the player on the Japanese national team who best embodies “individuality.”

“Mitoma can get involved in scoring and create chances. He always does one or the other in a match. He’s a crucial presence for the team. That’s exactly why his absence is such a blow.”

With Mitoma out of the lineup, who holds the key to Moriyasu’s Japan advancing from the group stage? The first name Mr. Matsumoto mentioned was defensive midfielder Kaishu Sano (25).

“Sano has really improved, hasn’t he? He not only covers a wide area in midfield to win the ball but can also push forward from there.Ayase Ueda (27), who was the top scorer in the Dutch league, has learned to jump and control high balls with his chest. That alone helps the ball settle in the front line. And he’s also strong in the air.

For Japan to advance, they’ll need to apply pressure from the front—just as they did when they beat Germany and Spain at the Qatar tournament—and play compactly by keeping the distance to the back line short. Can they win the ball from the opponent up front and finish their decisive chances? That will be the key.

Daichi Kamada (29) is the player who will make or break the current national team. Where will he be deployed? Will he form a double-pivot with Kaishu Sano, or will Wataru Endo (33) or Ao Tanaka (27) be positioned as the defensive midfielder, allowing Kamada to push forward? That’s a key point to watch.”

Speedy players like Keito Nakamura (25) and Daisuke Maeda (28) will also be key pieces.

“Nakamura has a move where he dribbles in from the left flank and shoots, but the opposition may have figured that out by now. If that’s the case, bringing in Junya Ito (33) in the second half to use his speed to break through and deliver a cross could be a key strategy. Maeda’s speed should also be a weapon. It’s a card we’ll want to play at some point.”

In the knockout stage of the Qatar World Cup against Croatia, Japan lost in a penalty shootout and missed out on reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in history. He reportedly met with Coach Moriyasu later to convey this directly.

“I asked him, ‘Who decided the order?’ Watching from the stands, it looked like the players were stepping up saying, ‘I’ll take it,’ as if they’d decided it themselves. If they decide it themselves and lose, the defeat becomes the players’ fault. I questioned whether that was appropriate for building a team.I told him, ‘The coach should decide the order, and if we lose that way, the coach can take responsibility.’ That’s how far we have to go. Moriyasu told me, ‘I’ll do it.’ If we had won that penalty shootout, we would have made it to the quarterfinals. We already have that kind of ability.”

Mr. Matsumoto will be watching the World Cup in person this time. He plans to visit Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, for the first time in 58 years, and also plans to visit the Azteca Stadium, where Japan won the bronze medal in the Olympic third-place match.

“My motto is ‘No regrets when giving it your all.’ Some people say that if you do your best and still lose, it can’t be helped, but I don’t think that way. If you give it your all, you will definitely win. That is my conviction.”

The man who once shaped the history of Japanese soccer under the Mexican sky will be watching Moriyasu’s Japan take the field.

From the June 26 & July 3, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*