[Japan Soccer National Team]37-year-old Yuto Nagatomo joins the squad! Director Moriyasu: “We invited Nagatomo to further power up”

Moriyasu Japan has announced the squad for the World Cup 2026 Asia 2nd round qualifying round and the match against North Korea, which will also serve as the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying round, to be held at the end of this month. The focus is on 37-year-old Yuto Nagatomo, who will be making his first national team return since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Coach Moriyasu also had high hopes for the veteran player who has participated in four consecutive World Cups. ■Coach Moriyasu comments on Nagatomo: “I hope Nagatomo can demonstrate his presence both on and off the pitch.However, first of all, I would like to let everyone know that I have selected him as a player. After looking back on my activities, I decided to call up this team based on various achievements and issues.My evaluation as a player is that, subjectively, I am able to demonstrate my presence within the team and play well. Objectively speaking, I think he is able to demonstrate high-intensity play at a top-class level.He taught us at FC Tokyo that we need to win one-on-one matches and connect good defense to good offense. However, he is showing that, and I hope that he can once again utilize his strengths to compete with the national team.First of all, I want him to show that he can play at a high level on the pitch.Off the pitch, he will reflect on his actions at any time. The other players are conscious of the fact that he behaves in a positive and forward-looking manner, but there is something about him that stands out.We are looking forward to the energy he will bring as the battles get tougher from now on. I have high expectations for him off the pitch as well, but the team is growing little by little even without Nagatomo. I don’t think we’ll rely on him because there’s something missing. Even more power. We have invited Nagatomo to upload the video.” ▼Please subscribe to the channel▼ https://www.youtube.com/tvtokyo_sports #Nagatomo Yuto #TV Tokyo #Sports #SPORTS #TV Tokyo