If 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Japan & Korea is the most memorable event in the history of Asian football, one Japanese player in particular would probably find that World Cup campaign to be his most memorable in his career where his talent was showcased to the rest of the world. That player was TODA KAZUYUKI!
The former Japanese International and Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder spoke about how he had worked from the bottom to the top, and eventually representing his country in a World Cup and also played in the biggest league in the World.
Samurai Blue
JPF: Having represented Japan in the World Youth Championship as a 17yrs old, did it occur to you that you would eventually progress to the senior team and played in a FIFA World Cup?
KT: Never, not at all. I didn’t even have the confidence of becoming a professional footballer at that age, let alone to be selected for the senior team and play in a World Cup. My confidence grew only after the FIFA World Youth U-20 Championship where I became a professional player with Shimizu S-Pulse. that’s when I knew I wanted to play at the highest level.
(Photo: soccer-king.jp)
JPF: What do you think was your strength which caught coach Philippe Troussier’s attention and eventually drafted you into the Japan National Team?
KT: There were many good midfielders during my time in the J.League but I think it could be my aggressiveness or defensive ability which stood out from the rest. For example, current Nagoya Grampus Eight’s coach Dragan Stojkovic was an extremely good player during my time in the J.League. No player dared to get close to him as they were showing him too much respect. Well, for me I would go in hard just to get the ball away from him. I mean in a World Cup, you shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the fact that those were all well-known footballers whom you were always watching from the TV. Coach Philippe Troussier probably knew that I could do the job in this aspect.
JPF: You had played together with the late Matsuda Naoki in the Japan National Team, could you tell us more about him?
KT: Matsuda-san was a very influential and winning-oriented player. Players would always feel motivated with him around in the team. He also had a very strong mentality which I believe if he was to play in Europe, he would definitely succeed.
(Photo: jsgoal.jp)
J.League Football
JPF: Having recorded 271 appearances at Japanese top flight, and also having played in Korea’s K.League, do you think that Japanese J.League is the best in Asia?
KT: The style of play between K.League and J.League is different but K.League has got more quality foreign players. In terms of league organization, J.League is probably the best. However, if you look at the AFC Champions League (ACL) this season, J.League teams are not doing exactly well but I still feel that J.League’s standard is still among the best in Asia.
JPF: During your J.League playing days, who did you look up to for inspiration?
KT: During my younger days, I looked up to players like Paolo Maldini and Edgar Davids. (JPF: Japanese player?) There wasn’t any Japanese player in particular whom I really followed. That was because during my early Shimizu S-Pulse days, there were a lot of excellent players in the team. Especially during my first professional year with S-Pulse, I could notice the big gap of difference between myself and the rest of the regular players! So I would always be training hard to be on par with them.
(Photo:matome.naver.jp)
European Football
JPF: You had only managed 4 appearances during your time at White Hart Lane. In your opinion, why was your appearance limited in the English Premier League? Weren’t you supposed to join Sunderland instead?
KT: Yes, Sunderland did offer me a contract after the World Cup but unfortunately both S-Pulse and Sunderland could not reach an agreement with the transfer fee. Eventually, Tottenham Spurs’ request for loan came and was accepted by S-Pulse. During the winter break in January 2003, I joined Spurs officially under Glenn Hoddle. As I did not undergo the pre-season with the team, it took me sometimes to adapt to the new English-speaking environment. Just when I slowly became a regular with the team for the new season, I had a bad injury which ruled me out for 2 months. To make the matter worse, the manager who signed me, Glenn Hoddle, was replaced by David Pleat. That probably put me in a more challenging situation as I struggled to recover and to re-impress the new manager.
JPF: How was the experience playing in the Dutch league with ADO Den Haag compared to the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur?
KT: The standard of Eredivisie is comparable to the English League as there are lots of good teams as well. Teams like Ajax Amsterdam and PSV are extremely good. With my past experience playing in England, I also adapted very fast in Netherlands. I had played against Park Ji Sung, Mark Van Bommel (both PSV) and even Patrick Vieira (then Arsenal). Both Mark Van Bommel and Patrick Vieira were tough players. They were the only two players who showed no reaction after my hard tackles! The rest of players just went down, haha!
JPF: Is there anything that you have learnt from playing in top European leagues which you are still applying that in your game now?
KT: One of the things which I had learnt was Adaptability. In J.League, I had no difficulties as most of the players communicate in Japanese. However, in English Premier League, Eredivisie or even S.League, I will have to learn to adapt to a foreign language or even culture so as to blend with my fellow teammates as a foreign player. And also as a foreign player, there is additional pressure for us to perform better than the local players. After so many years of playing overseas, I have already learnt to cope with the challenges. In fact, now I am able to voice out my own opinion during team meetings and also communicate with fellow teammates comfortably and confidently.
JPF: In your Defensive Midfielder’s role, who are some of the toughest players you have ever faced?
KT: I have played against many good oppositions but the toughest one has to be Ruud Van Nistelrooy. With his “monster” build, he had surprised me with his agility, his pace, his space awareness and his technical ability. You only need to give him half-a-metre space, he would do wonders and made a goal out of it. The game which had given me the most impact in my career would have to be against Van Nistelrooy (Tottenham Hotspurs vs Manchester United). In fact, I am still feeling shocked by his fantastic football attributes!
Singapore Football
JPF: What do you think of the standard of S.League since you are currently playing in the S.League?
KT: Personally, the quality of the foreign players is good in every team and I am enjoying myself in the S.League too. However, S.League still has room to improve. It has to advance to the next level. And I am proud and excited to be involved and to contribute to the S.League’s advancement.
(Photos: Andrew Him)
JPF: After having played in various leagues in your career, in your opinion, how can S.League draw the crowd to the stadium?
KT: To be honest, I have always been thinking about this since I started playing in the S.League. First of all, some of the local teams like Home Utd, Tampines Rovers and Albirex Niigata are playing attractive football. What we need to improve firstly, is the infrastructure, particularly the football pitch. Currently, the pitch seems to be overused. If the pitch is to be used for S.League games, Prime League games and trainings, it would never be in a good condition to play beautiful football.
Next, improve the league schedule. As a player playing in the S.League, sometimes I’m not even sure when my next game will be as the current schedule is not fixed, let alone football fans who don’t normally follow S.League news on a daily basis. How would they know when to go for the games? For example in Japan, Cup games are played during the weekdays where the attendance is half of what it has drawn for the League games in the weekend. Should the games be possible played during weekends, it can be a family outing opportunity. And if you think that the telecast of the English Premier League’s games might prevent football fans from supporting their favourite S.League teams, it will not. Catching a live game in the stadium is a different experience which the football fans will truly enjoy. Remember, football is an entertainment.
JPF: Any advice for young aspiring players?
KT: If you want to be a professional footballer, first of all you will have to love football. Only if you are truly passionate about football, you will succeed. And if you are already a professional footballer, you will have to be disciplined. You will have to take good care of your diet, train hard and keep improving yourself in all various aspects. That’s professionalism.
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