Japanese in Europe 2021-22: Part 4 – Spain and Portugal | soccer in japan
Portugal has become one of the main destinations for Japanese players in Europe, alongside and Germany. And some clubs have hit the nail on the head in signings, like Santa Clara, with Hidemasa Morita and Kyosuke Tagawa, or Gil Vicente with Kanya Fujimoto. At Portimonense, the “most Japanese time in Portugal”, Shoya Nakajima slowly recovers his form, while Kosuke Nakamura continues to embitter the reserve. In Spain, only the jewel Takefusa Kubo is in the first division, but two old acquaintances, Shinji Okazaki and Gaku Shibasaki, compete in the second, and I forgot an old one who will be halfway, Hiroki Abe, just tries to overcome like. Check out how was the year of the Japanese who played in the Spanish and Portuguese leagues:
Midfielder, 21 years old (04/06/2001) – Seasons in Europe: 3
In its third year in LaLiga, the Japanese jewel had its least productive season. After two months at Mallorca, where he shone in 2019-20, he started as a starter, but was put on hold with a knee injury from September to. Upon his return, he scored in stoppage time in the second half or in a comeback victory against Atlético de Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. But that was his only goal in Espanyol. With performances in time and time increasingly consisting of relegation, he went to the bench in the final stretch and this time he didn’t have as much participation from the team in the first division. Despite the undeniable potential and being the third Mallorca player with the most dribbles (40), it was a year of little evolution.
Spanish Championship: 28 games (17 as a starter), 1 goal – 16th place
King’s Cup: 3 games (2 as a starter), 1 goal, 2 assists – Quarterfinals
Total: 31 games (19 as a starter), 2 goals, 2 assists
Selection status: compose cast
Season rating: BAD
Shinji Okazaki (Cartagena)
Forward, 36 years old (16/04/1986) – Seasons in Europe: 12
After being promoted with Huesca one year and relegated the next, Okazaki ended up with Cartagena and continued Spanish football once again in the division. But this time his performance was quite different from two years ago. He started as a starter and in October he scored his first goal, Of Head, in a 5-1 victory over Ibiza. But he didn’t match in games and the rest of the season on the bench. He only went online again, in February, but it was a bicycle goal with Malaga, his former club, in stoppage time in the second half. Two very typical Okazaki goals. Very little, however, for an entire season.
Spanish Second Division: 32 games (9 as a starter), 2 goals – 9th place
King’s Cup: 3 games (3 as a starter) – 32nd finals
Total: 35 games (12 as a starter), 2 goals
Selection status: Not called up since Copa America 2019
Season rating: BAD
Gaku Shibasaki (Leganés)
Midfielder/midfielder, 30 years old (28/05/1992) – Seasons in Europe: 6
The ex-Kashima Antlers’ second year with the Pepineros had an air of conception because time couldn’t fight for access. It was the fourth season of Shibasaki’s career in the Spanish “second” and fourth without being released. At least he remained an important player for the time, he was a starter for most of the campaign and continues to play in his original position, as a defensive midfielder (at other clubs he didn’t have as many chances because he was called up more forward), but he has lost space in the selection, where he is no longer a starter and even his presence in the squad is already questioned. If he is on Moriyasu’s shortlist for Qatar, he will be the first player in Leganés history (not counting protégés) to play in a World Cup.
Spanish Second Division: 34 games (28 as a starter), 3 goals, 1 assist – 12th place
King’s Cup: Did not play – 32 final votes
Selection status: always summoned
Season review: REASONABLE
Midfielder, 23 years old (28/01/1999) – Seasons in Europe: 3
Year it was already clear that Hiroki Abe would have no future in Barcelona’s B-time and he was expected to transfer to another team in Europe or even return to Kashima Antlers, but the 2018 J.League’s best young player was left out of the loop. the 2021-22 season because of a hamstring injury he suffered in August last year. It’s the same injury he had in 2020, which he never recovered from. In February this year he was the operator for the second time in Finland, in a clinic specializing in this type of injury for the same year that he operated on Ousmane Dembélé, and since then he has been undergoing treatment at Barça’s CT.
Spanish Third Division: Do not play
Selection status: There’s only one call-up, for the 2019 Copa America
Season Rating: NO RATING
Shoya Nakajima (Portimonense)
Midfielder, 27 years old (23/08/1994) – Seasons in Europe: 5
Trying to make up for lost time, Nakajima was lost in Porto’s career to the club where he lived his best moment, Europa, or Portimonense. Because of a fractured tibia he suffered last season, he only made his debut for the Algarve in October. In November, the first time as a starter, he scored in the victory against Belenenses and was elected best on the field. The Japanese kept the title, playing the full 90 minutes in most matches, but he still hasn’t returned to the same level as before and he was also no longer remembered by Moriyasu in the national team’s call-ups.
Portuguese Championship: 22 games (20 as a starter), 1 goal, 2 assists – 13th place
Portugal Cup: 3 games (3 as a starter), 1 goal, 2 assists – Quarterfinals
Total: 25 games (23 as a starter), 2 goals, 4 assists
Selection status: Not called up since November 2019
Season review: REASONABLE
Kosuke Nakamura (Portimonense)
Goalkeeper, 27 years old (27/02/1995) – Seasons in Europe: 2
He continued to act as second or third goalkeeper and only played one match in the first half, for the Portuguese Cup, in which he at least went without conceding a goal. In the Portuguese Championship, he only played one match in January, when the squad had an outbreak of covid-19 and all the goalkeepers were not available, and in the last one, when he made saves, he recorded the others plus a clean sheet and was the best in field.
Portuguese Championship: 2 games (as a starter), 2 goals 2 goals, 1 clean sheet
League Cup: Do not play
Portugal Cup: 1 game, 0 goals scored, 1 game without conceding
Total: 3 games (as a starter), 2 goals 3 goals, 2 clean sheets
Selection status: Not called up since June 2021
Season Rating: NO RATING
Kanya Fujimoto (Gil Vicente)
Midfielder, 22 years old (01/07/1999) – Seasons in Europe: 2
In his second season with Gil Vicente, Fujimoto received the number 10 shirt, team and became an absolute starter on the right, as a midfielder in a 4-3-3 shirt, central midfielder 1 or even second striker in a 4-4-2 . He only missed two rounds when he was suspended. He excels in move and technique, with his passes and crosses. According to Diário Record, “the Japanese midfielder was one of the most prominent figures in Gil Vicente’s European qualification”. The team from the city of Barcelos, by the way, equaled the best campaign in its history in the Portuguese league (fifth place from 1999-00) and qualified for a European competition for the first time – it will be the Conference League next season.
Portuguese Championship: 32 games (32 as a starter), 3 goals, 2 assists – 5th place
League Cup: 2 games (2 as a starter), 1 assist – 2nd phase
Portugal Cup: 1 game – 4th stage
Total: 35 games (34 as a starter), 3 goals, 3 assists
Selection status: never been summoned
Season rating: GOOD
Ryotaro Meshino (Estoril)
Forward, 23 years old (18/06/1998) – Seasons in Europe: 3
After playing a season in Portugal at Rio Ave, for example, Manchester City loaned to newly promoted Estoril. His debut was a déjà vu of the previous year, when he came off the bench in the final minutes and scored an extra goal in the first of the Portuguese Championship. The rest of the year was much the same, but much worse. The forward did not start once in the league, with a total of just 107 minutes. In 18 of the 34 rounds he was not even among the listed. Just for the cup he started playing once, but he didn’t show service.
Portuguese Championship: 9 games, 1 goal – 9th place
Portugal Cup: 2 games (1 as a starter) – Round of 16
Total: 11 games (1 as a starter), 1 goal
Selection status: never been summoned
Season Rating: NO RATING
Hidemasa Morita (Santa Clara)
Steering wheel, 27 years old (10/05/1995) – Seasons in Europe: 2
There were proposals from Braga and Fene, but Santa Clarabahç and Morita stayed another season in the Azoreans. It can be said that it was not such an earlier year, much more that a campaign was as good as the one that made it. Even so, the Japanese remained as a starter in midfield, standing out for the absolute power of marking and exiting the ball and demonstrating that he can play at a higher level. In the winter window, the report or the interest of Porto and the privacy of the press. Now, his transfer to Sporting is taken for granted. “Morita is clearly a differentiating player. For Santa Clara it was fantastic to have a player like him, because I think he has the potential to be at a higher club”, said coach Mário Silva.
Portuguese Championship: 28 games (25 as a starter), 1 goal, 1 assist – 7th place
League Cup: 3 games (3 as a starter) – Semifinal
Portugal Cup: 1 game (starter) – 4th stage
Conference League: 6 games (6 as a starter), 1 goal – Playoffs
Total: 38 games (35 as a starter), 2 goals, 1 assist
Selection status: Holder
Season rating: GOOD
Kyosuke Tagawa (Santa Clara)
Forward, 23 years old (02/11/1999) – Seasons in Europe: 1
Employed by FC Tokyo in January (a year and a half contract), on his debut Tagawa scored a goal, the victory over Boavista for the Portuguese Championship. The continuous forward to be used only as a victory over the holder, until, the first time, in April, he scored again, victory over Estoril. From there he remained in the starting eleven, hit the nets in three straight games and ended a season on a high. Even with only five games as a starter, he was vice-top scorer of the time (tied with three other players).
Portuguese Championship: 12 games (5 as a starter), 5 goals
League Cup: Do not play
Selection status: There’s only one call-up, for the E-1 Cup, in 2019
Season rating: GOOD
Leo Brian Kokubo (Benfica B)
Goalkeeper, 21 years old (02/11/1999) – Seasons in Europe: 1
Signed directly from the base of Kashiwa Reysol in January 2019, Kokubo has a link with Benfica until 2025. This season, he debuted for the B team in the second division of Portugal and played nine matches. In January it was featured in a victory over the national and recorded his first clean slate. He has yet to debut for the first team, but was listed for the first time and was on the bench in the last round of the Portuguese Championship.
Portuguese Championship: Do not play
Portuguese Second Division: 9 games (9 as a starter), 14 goals scored, 1 game without conceding – 5th place
Selection status: Member of the Olympic team
Season Rating: NO RATING