Football fans eagerly awaiting the World Cup gathered at Japan’s training base in Chiba on Monday to watch the team’s first training session ahead of the tournament.
Samurai Blue began with just 13 players on the opening day, as many of their Europe-based players were unable to join, while a large crowd of supporters still gathered to cheer them on.
The team has set its sights on winning the World Cup, and as this ambition has become widely recognised among fans, many of the supporters who gathered expressed high hopes for Japan to win the tournament.
Veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo, 39, who is set to appear in his fifth World Cup finals with Japan, was among the 13 players.
“Being here makes me feel about ten years younger — I can actually feel my cells being rejuvenated,” Nagatomo said. “Now I want to cry tears of joy when we win the World Cup.”
Samurai Blue will face Iceland in a friendly at Tokyo’s National Stadium on the 31st, before travelling to Mexico on the 2nd of next month for a pre-World Cup training camp.
Japan have been drawn in World Cup Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.
JP2021.COM