## "Football Player" dreams come true

In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan played against Belgium in the quarter-finals. A huge portrait of Ohsora, wearing the No. 10 jersey, was holding a gold cup with the slogan "Let's go" in the stands. Chase your dream," "Beyond history," and "Must score goals." At that time, Japan was ranked 61st in the world and Belgium was ranked 3rd. Under such a huge disparity in strength, the Japanese team once led 2-0 and played a wonderful game. Although they lost to Belgium in the end and lost by one point, the Japanese team's high-spirited and never-flinching spirit won the match. gained everyone's respect. From a country that failed to qualify for the World Cup to one that has repeatedly advanced to the World Cup and competes with the powerful, the development of Japanese football is inseparable from an anime: "Tuna". The emergence of "Captain" has changed this phenomenon.

Follow me to see how the dream of "Captain" turns into reality.

Great 2-1! National carnival in Japan: Thousands of people poured into the streets and sang loudly to celebrate

The 2022 World Cup is destined to be remembered by the world. After Saudi Arabia reversed Argentina 2-1, another big upset was born: the Japanese team fell behind 0-1, relying on the substitutes Don's Ritsu and Asano Takuma to score 2 goals in a row, and reversed the World Cup four-time champion 2-1. German team!

When Qatar lost 0-2 to Ecuador and Iran lost 2-6 to England, you would think that Asian football in the World Cup is just a disaster team. However, Saudi Arabia and Japan performed miracles and overturned the two favorites to win the championship. The Japanese team has 7 players from the Bundesliga. Using the simplicity and impact of German football, coupled with the technology and dexterity of Japanese football, a super cold game was born.

At this moment, the happiest people are Ritsu Don'an, Takuma Asano, coach Hoichi Mori, the entire Japanese team, the Japanese fans at the scene, and tens of millions of local Japanese fans. In Japan, fans turned this night into a carnival:

In squares and on the streets, Japanese fans sang and celebrated. Thousands of people reveled together. Perhaps they did not know each other, but football and victory are the same language. Fans in Shibuya celebrated this World Cup miracle by crossing the street collectively. For them, the joy brought by this 2-1 match was unparalleled and unforgettable.

In Japanese bars and restaurants, fans cheered, hugged, and shouted. What could be more exciting and soul-stirring than such a victory? Japanese fans shouted the slogan "We want to enter the top 8", which is also the goal of the Japanese team in this World Cup.

In Japanese universities, students watch football together and shout until they are hoarse. "In the first game, we will be nervous, but we enjoy it, let's fight together!"

To some extent, Japan's 2-1 reversal of Germany is the realization of a dream. I believe that many fans have read "Tuna" when they were young. In this comic, there is a chapter where Japan destroyed the German team - we want to defeat the German team 3-2! Minamino Takumi, Don'an Ritsu, Asano Takuma, Gonda Shuichi, Yoshida Maya, Kamada Daichi... these players who grew up watching "Captain Tsubasa" have made their dreams come true.

"Captain" is a masterpiece that changed Japanese football, making dreams come true.

In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan faced Belgium in the quarter-finals, and there was a huge gap in the stands. A portrait of Tsubasa, wearing the No. 10 jersey, holding a gold cup in his hand, with the slogans "Let's chase our dreams," "Beyond history," and "We must score goals."

At that time, Japan was ranked 61st in the world and Belgium was ranked 3rd. Under such a huge disparity in strength, the Japanese team once led 2-0 and played a wonderful game. Although they lost to Belgium in the end and lost by one point, the Japanese team's high-spirited and never-flinching spirit won the match. gained everyone's respect.

From a country that failed to qualify for the World Cup to one that has repeatedly advanced to the World Cup and competes with the powerful, the development of Japanese football is inseparable from an anime: "Captain".

A comic breaks the "Winter Era"

In the 1980 World Cup qualifiers, Japan lost to China 0-1 and lost the qualification for the 1982 World Cup. Japanese football fell into the "Winter Era" era".

In 1981, Yoichi Takahashi serialized his debut work "Soccer Tsubasa" in "Weekly Shōnen Jump". The protagonist is Ohsora Tsubasa, who loves football. He has participated in national leagues since he was a child and represented Japan in the World Cup as a youth. The story of the youth championship, La Liga, and finally leading the Japanese team to the World Cup.

After the broadcast of "Little Footballer", performances such as "Upside Down Golden Hook", "Tiger Shot", "Double Shot" and "Razor Shot" have been performed on every street where football is available.

"Captain Tsubasa" has become a popular animation. It has not only been warmly welcomed in Japan, but also became a memory of a generation after it was introduced to China in 1997. The influence of "Football Players" has even radiated to the entire world. It has become a football enlightenment book for teenagers and the original dream of countless professional stars.

The Football Explosion

Before "Captain Tsubasa", the most popular sport in Japan was baseball. The Koshien Baseball Tournament among Japanese high school students can make the whole of Japan excited. High school football It is difficult for the Ministry to gather 11 people to play football. The emergence of "Captain Tsubasa" changed this phenomenon.

According to statistics, during the six years since the manga was serialized, the number of registered primary school students playing football in Japan increased from 110,000 to 240,000, and the number of people participating in football increased explosively. . In the 1980s, countless people were ignited by "Captain Tsubasa", which laid the foundation for the professionalization of Japanese football in the 1990s. In 1998, Japan entered the World Cup, and the national football team at that time were basically fans of Tsubasa Ohso. This phenomenon is called the "football explosion" by the Japanese football community.

The power of Tsubasa Ohsora

Because of Tsubasa Ozora, countless Japanese teenagers have embarked on the path of football. Japanese media reported that in order to follow the footsteps of Ohsora Tsubasa, countless young players in Japan started a trend of learning football in Brazil (Osora Tsubasa once played in the Brazilian League). The Japanese players who have made great achievements in European stadiums, such as Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono, Shunsuke Nakamura, Shinji Kagawa, etc., all accepted the inspiration of "Captain Tsubasa" and adopted "Tsubasa Ohso" as their idol.

Hidetoshi Nakata, who was twice elected as the Asian Footballer of the Year, once said that twenty or thirty years ago, he was hesitant between football and baseball, because "Captain Tsubasa" finally chose football.

Keisuke Honda, who is known as the man who "most resembles Hyuga Kojiro", climbed up to the goal countless times and then jumped off to practice barbs in order to learn the "High-altitude Hurricane" played by the Flower Brothers in "Captain Tsubasa" when he was a child. He also wrote in the composition: "I want to make a name for myself in the World Cup and attract invitations from foreign teams. I want to play in Serie A, wear the No. 10 jersey, and become a superstar there." In 2014, Honda Keisuke joined Serie A. AC Milan, the Rossoneri, realized his dream by wearing the No. 10 jersey.

After "Captain Soccer" began to be serialized, the real-life Nange team was also established. In 1983, the author Yoichi Takahashi's hometown, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, established a football team. Although it belonged to a low-level amateur league, the glory of the dream attracted professional player Kodai Yasuda. Kodai Yasuda is a fan of "Captain Tsubasa". Putting on Nange's uniform and fighting for it filled his heart with admiration and pride.

Attacking the Japanese Team

The seeds planted by "Captain Tsubasa" sprouted in 1992. In this year, the Japanese team won the Asian Cup for the first time and won the Asian Cup in 1992. Since then, it has won the championship three times; in 1998, Japan entered the World Cup finals for the first time and scored its first goal in the World Cup; in the 2018 World Cup, Japan reached the quarter-finals, showing the world the strength and spirit of the Japanese team.

In the comics, Tsubasa Ozora's dream of competing for the World Cup championship was compiled into the "Japanese Football Centenary Plan" by the godfather of Japanese football, Saburo Kawabuchi, and is being realized step by step in reality. In 2021, the number of Japanese players in Europe reached 451, and the local football population reached the goal of 5 million. In Japan, whether elementary school students, junior high school students, high school students or the community, they have their own football fields and football competitions, developing a football culture unique to Japan.

Conclusion

Since the birth of "Captain", it has been ridiculed for "violating the laws of physics", "false", "distorted character proportions" and "the Japanese team's total victory is unscientific". We feel that it is unrealistic for the Japanese team to enter the five major leagues and enter the World Cup in "Captain", but now more and more Japanese players are realizing this dream.

A virtual hero is constantly delivering energy to people. The waving and shouting Tsubasa Ohso in the stands is the spiritual soul that supports Japanese football. Japanese football is growing all the way, getting closer and closer to their big sky wing.

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