The 5th day of camp consisted of only morning practice, and some players also participated in the afternoon practice.
Yuto NAGATOMO and Keigo HIGASHI arrived in Okinawa last night and have joined the training from today.
Today, we split into positions and the attacking team worked on finishing while the defensive team focused on various aspects of the game.
In the finishing practice, we repeated the process of receiving a pass in front of the goal and taking a shot, while the opposing goalkeeper was conscious of preparing for the shot.
In the defense menu, the coaching staff acted as the opposing team and the players played in a build-up style, connecting the ball from the defensive line while confirming their positioning.
Finally, we ended the fifth day of practice with a focus on set plays in preparation for tomorrow's first external match of the season.
After lunch, player Nagatomo, who announced contract renewal yesterday, responded to media interviews.
Many media members have come to Okinawa. Player Nagatomo has spoken passionate words about Tokyo. We have excerpted and published some of them, so please take a look.
Q: Yesterday, the contract renewal was announced and in the comments, it said, "I carefully thought about how I will live my life from now on." What were you thinking about leading up to the contract renewal? Please tell us what thoughts led to the contract renewal.
A: After the World Cup ended, I wanted to rest both physically and mentally, so I took it easy without thinking about soccer until the beginning of the new year. However, during that one month of self-reflection, I considered what path I would take going forward. Ultimately, I felt a great and profound passion for soccer, and as that feeling solidified, a strong desire grew within me to win a title with Tokyo and to lift the trophy. I started discussions with Tokyo after the new year. Since Tokyo also expressed that they needed me, I believe that is how this contract was finalized.
Q: Please share your thoughts after finishing today's first practice, and also, could you tell us what Chairman Nonomura talked about?
I felt a sense of security returning to my home. Seeing the smiles of my teammates, including coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA and the staff, made me want to contribute even more to this team. I discussed with Chairman Nonomura how we can further promote the J League in the future.
Q, I think the performance in the World Cup is still fresh in our memories, but how do you feel about the camp in Okinawa for the new season, including the training environment?
A: Okinawa is a place I love so much that I come here every year even during the off-season. It’s a place where I can relax, and time flows slowly, making it a wonderful environment. Being able to start again in such a place is truly a happiness for me, and I want to receive the wonderful energy from this land and give it back to the team.
Q, Shuhei TOKUMOTO, who is from Okinawa, joined us this season. He plays in the same position as you, but what is your impression of him?
A, I haven't seen him play yet, and we haven't practiced together, so I don't know the details. However, I've heard that he is left-footed and has high quality, so I'm really looking forward to playing alongside him. And I welcome the competition for the position. Being able to compete with such a great player is something I am very proud of as a professional, and I think it will raise the level of competition. In this professional world, there is no such thing as yielding, but within that, I want to engage in fierce competition, grow together, and ultimately contribute solidly to the team. I want to have that kind of high-level battle.
Q, please tell us your enthusiasm for this season.
A, I believe that under Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA last season, a wonderful foundation for the team was built, so based on that foundation, I want to fight this season with the goal of winning the title. We have great players, so I believe we can achieve that dream and goal.
Q, Please tell us about the team's goal and Yuto Nagatomo's personal goal.
A, The team's goal, as I mentioned earlier, is to win the J.League title. As for me personally, first and foremost, I want to firmly demonstrate my abilities on the pitch as a player and contribute to the team's strength. Also, having gained a lot of experience—both overseas and with the Japan national team, including the World Cup—I want to make sure I can pass on that experience to the younger players and juniors. I believe that is my major personal goal.
Q, 4 years later, in 2026, there will be a World Cup. What are your current thoughts and feelings about the activities of the Japan national team and their journey to the World Cup?
A, as I have said many times, the more you experience the World Cup, the more you become captivated by it, and I always have the desire to compete as a player on that stage again. And as long as I am active, I want to aim for the Japan national team. So first, I want to fully demonstrate my abilities here in Tokyo under a wonderful coach, staff, and teammates, and I believe that will lead to the path to the Japan national team.
Q: After the end of the Qatar World Cup, what is the essence of football that is needed? Is it toughness that can match the intensity, or mental strength? How would you put it into words? How much of it exists in Tokyo currently, and how much is lacking?
A, To get closer to the world’s top level, first of all, the physical aspect of duels and one-on-one battles around the ball obviously still need to be improved. Also, as you can see from the World Cup final, mental strength is crucial—everyone was desperately chasing the ball and fighting for every duel, and even Messi, who is called a genius, showed incredible defense and dueling. I believe this has to become the standard at the world’s top level. Furthermore, when considering the global standard not only for Tokyo but also for the J-League, I feel that the strength in duels is still lacking. Having played in Europe for over 11 years and competed in hundreds of matches representing my country in the World Cup, I personally think that this strength in duels—or rather, not just physical strength but the spirit and soul behind it—is still insufficient among Japanese players. To raise this standard, I have to demonstrate it myself in the J-League with Tokyo. It’s easy to say, but I want to fight this season so that I can clearly show it on the pitch.
Q, What was the main factor that kept you active in your career, even though it was a World Cup that you put your life on the line for and could have burned out?
A: I dedicated everything to this World Cup over the course of four years, so honestly, I hadn’t thought at all about the future after the World Cup. However, during this past month of self-reflection, one major inspiration came from watching the final match between Argentina and France. I was truly shocked and received an incredible amount of energy. It made me realize the greatness of football and how much it can move people. I also felt grateful to have been allowed to stand on that stage. Furthermore, if I don’t give up, I might be able to return to that stage again. I felt a strong, rising passion like that, and I realized that seizing this future depends on myself. And if I continue playing football, I want to win a title here in Tokyo, which I love so much, under the guidance of the truly wonderful coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA, with the best teammates who help me grow. I also want to get myself into the condition to play and compete again for the national team. These are the feelings I have come to.
Q: During this month of rest, I think you have spent a lot of time with your family. Can you tell us about your family's reaction when you heard that Nagatomo will continue playing?
A: I don't think the children fully understand, but my wife seemed to want me to continue playing and was very happy about it. She had been watching and cheering closely during the Qatar World Cup, seeing that my body was still moving strongly, so she wished for me to keep going. So, she was really happy.
Q: After the defeat in the World Cup, you mentioned the importance of boosting the J-League. Is this something you have been saying since your first appearance in the World Cup? Also, please share your thoughts on how you want to promote the J-League and further develop Japanese soccer through this.
A, I believe that the development of the Japan national team cannot happen without the development of the J-League. After all, I myself grew up in the J-League, went abroad, and then returned. Also, the players currently playing overseas have grown and developed in the J-League and are now active. I believe the J-League is the foundation of Japanese soccer. Without raising the level of this foundation, there can be no development of the Japan national team. That is why I want to give back the experience I have cultivated so far to help develop the J-League, which I think will be a great way to repay the Japan national team. I was nurtured by both the Japan national team and the J-League, and that is why I am who I am today, so I believe I can make a significant contribution in return. Without doing this, I think there will be no future development for the Japan national team.
Q, please tell us about your thoughts on winning the championship, as you mentioned earlier that you want to lift the trophy.
A: My feelings are so intense that my vocabulary can hardly express them. Tokyo has experience winning cup competitions, but we have yet to win the J-League. I believe we are the team that must energize the capital Tokyo the most. It is very sad and personally painful that this team has not yet lifted the trophy. Bearing the pride of Tokyo and the blue and red, I am determined to do my best to lift the trophy this season. I believe everything is in place. I think we have the members, the coach, and the staff who can achieve this together.
Q, How intense is the current glare of Nagatomo, who is always shining?
A, Intense? I first returned my hair color to black, but the intensity hasn’t changed. In fact, I think it has increased. My passion is burning. I changed my hair color back because the World Cup was a festival, and since the festival is over, I wanted a fresh start, to focus on my current work and devote myself fully. Returning to black symbolizes dedicating everything. So, compared to red, my appearance might be plain, but my heart is burning passionately.
Q, What do you want to work on first?
A, There are too many, you know. I have never been satisfied with myself before, but in this World Cup, I really saw many of my own challenges clearly, and of course, it’s everything. Physically, skill-wise, and tactically as well, I think I have to improve everything. Mentally, I believe I have reached a top level even globally, but when considering the global standards for physical and skill aspects, I still need to grow a lot. Some might think that at my age, Nagatomo can no longer improve, but I believe that the moment I give up, my own dream ends, so I will not give up. Everything I have imagined I could do, I have achieved so far, so I believe I can do it.
Q, Regarding mental strength, did you gain more confidence from this World Cup or did you always have the belief that you wouldn't lose?
A, I reaffirmed my own strength through this World Cup. I have experienced it four times so far, but I was not as strong as I am now. Looking back at these four times, I can confidently say that I have grown the most mentally and become more resilient.
Q, Earlier you mentioned being captivated by the World Cup, but what specifically do you mean by captivated?
A, I think you can tell if you look into my eyes when I shouted "Bravo," but in ordinary life, it's rare for people to get that excited. That excitement comes from the joy and pride of being able to compete in the precious World Cup held once every four years, and from feeling the weight and pressure of carrying the Hinomaru on my back. I have spent my time feeling that this is truly an honor as a professional soccer player. Therefore, as a soccer player, the World Cup, where you can feel everything, only comes once every four years. And the more you experience it, the more you become captivated by the World Cup—that's what it means.
Q, 4 years later, 3 and a half years later, there will be another World Cup, but is it looking towards 3 and a half years later for Nagatomo or is it a year-by-year accumulation for the World Cup?
A, Both. Of course, I believe you can't reach that place unless you can imagine it. However, I can envision myself three and a half years from now. But just that is not enough; it’s truly a daily battle, year by year, and really day by day—how much I can improve myself in training from today onward, and how close I can get to the ideal version of myself three and a half years later. So, I hope to overcome myself and show an interesting side of Nagatomo once again.
Q, will we be able to hear the same kind of cheering as Bravo?
A, I myself don’t know. Those words came out instinctively, from my soul, so I can’t make any promises here, but I do think something interesting will happen again. Everyone, please look forward to what an excited Nagatomo will do.
Q, There was a bravo and welcoming reaction from all over Japan except for fans and supporters after yesterday's announcement. How do you feel about receiving such a reaction?
A, first of all, I felt happy, and I truly feel that my passion increases with every 'Bravo' I receive. Even today, when I came here, the coach told me to "take my time to build my body" and to "calmly prepare," but I feel like saying I want to play a match right now. That’s how much my excitement has risen. Although the word 'Bravo' might have come from me, I have received many of them, and I feel that I have gained courage and passion from them.
Finally, here's a photo of the off-pitch scene.
The campsite is located near the sea, so you can enjoy the view of the blue sky and sea. The players also take time to go to the beach and refresh themselves.
The perfect temperature for swimming in the sea. It's around the time when fatigue starts to build up, but these two also gave me a good smile.
Tomorrow's practice game will be against the local Meio University.
Kickoff at 10:15, to be conducted in two 30-minute halves and one 20-minute half.
We would appreciate it if those who come to the venue could confirm the precautions.
https://www.fctokyo.co.jp/news/14344
