We have released the full text of Shunsuke Nakamura’s press conference for the “SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA FAREWELL MATCH” held on Sunday, December 17th.
Full text of press conference
–It’s been a while since you retired, but please tell us how you feel now after your last retirement match.
I would like to express my gratitude to the various players, the staff who worked around the match, and the fans and supporters who came to see us.Although it may not be hospitality, I feel relieved of the pressure of wondering if I had a good time.
–Shunsuke himself seemed to enjoy playing with various players, but please tell us your impressions during the match.
It was really fun. I feel like J-DREAMS is getting older (lol). Being able to play in Mitsuzawa and playing soccer reminded me of that. it was fun.
–Looking back on your own play.
Everyone worked hard, Takayuki Suzuki got a foul, and although it wasn’t a directing, he created (a free kick opportunity). I was able to have my mentor, Mr. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, join the team opposite me and compete against him, so even though it was his retirement match, he played seriously. I don’t think the first goal was included (lol), but I thought it was amazing. I put more effort into the second one. That was fun.
–Please tell us about Shunsuke Nakamura’s next goals, not just as a player, but as a coach.
I can’t set big mid-term or long-term goals like I did when I was a player, and I feel that the coaches are difficult and detailed, so I want to learn by doing what’s in front of me one by one. .
–You mentioned Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, but what were your thoughts when you heard his message at the final ceremony?
He’s a player and person that I really respect, and I’m happy to receive messages from him. I’m glad that most of the players who came today were people I could call comrades. In particular, Mr. Nokatsu has been taking care of me since the first year I joined the company, so I have a lot of feelings for him.
–You mentioned the word comrades, but today’s lineup includes many players who could be called rivals, but what kind of players were you competing with in the same position during your active career?
When I was younger, it was Shinji (Ono). When I first started thinking about being the representative, it was Hide (Hidetoshi Nakata). I don’t have enough movement like Hiroaki Morishima. These three people were always conscious of what they did. In other words, we are not competitors. Hide-san is above the clouds, and Shinji has a lot of things that I don’t have, so I was conscious that I wouldn’t be able to survive on the national team if I didn’t hone what they didn’t have. One of them is a free kick. I think most of the players in the midfield played with that mindset in terms of the amount of exercise they did. I think I was able to grow because of those players.
–We talked about free kicks, but what does it take to become a coach and develop free kickers like Shunsuke?
It’s difficult because the way you kick hasn’t changed since you became a professional, but I think you can change your mindset, so create that situation in practice. Another thing is to be responsible. I think you can create the environment and scene little by little. I think it’s important to start when you’re a junior high school student, because you won’t be able to master the form or the feeling of hitting the ball, so you won’t be able to build up your skills. I think that’s important when you look at middle school and high school students. There aren’t many players who play with that in mind, so I’m trying through trial and error to figure out what it takes to create those situations. Zico, Kazushi Kimura, and other top-notch free kickers didn’t say a single word to me, so I just kept watching. I don’t want to stop them, and I think it’s better to just watch over them and give them guidance.
–You mentioned that you have fond memories of playing at Mitsuzawa, which you love. Please tell us about the feelings that filled your mind as you stood on the Mitsuzawa pitch as a player.
When I was in elementary school, Mitsuzawa was the stage for the finals, and Mitsuzawa was my home in Kanagawa Prefecture for the high school finals, so Mitsuzawa was my home even after I turned professional. I think we are very lucky to have a J.League team in our hometown. I feel so attached to it. I say it’s the best place in the world, but it’s my favorite place in the world. Have you done it here? It’s really good. It’s close to the customers, and the grass is nice. You’ve known it for a long time, haven’t you? Since the time of concrete. about it.
–Is there anything that hasn’t changed since then?
Things are evolving little by little, the warm-up room is now grass, and the seats are turning blue (from concrete), but I think it’s good that things don’t change.
–Unfortunately, Naoki Matsuda and Daisuke Oku, who were unable to participate in the match, are included in the squad. The video was shown on the vision screen during the match, please tell us your thoughts.
Mr. Matsu has been looking after me ever since I joined the team when I was young, and since I was only playing soccer, he told me, “You can’t do it if you only play soccer, you’re naive,” and let me meet various people. When we went out to eat, we talked about soccer all the time, and he was someone who wanted to help me grow. When Dai-san transferred to me, we played together side by side, and the good thing about playing side-by-side with him was Shinji and Ohno (Toshitaka), who played with him at World Youth, and Dai-chan. , it felt like we were in sync with each other. During practice and games, he had fun by pulling down his socks and showing off his calves, and he always took good care of himself. He’s a soccer player who has helped me improve my abilities, so I wanted to play with him, so I decided to do it this way.
–What did you feel when you saw fans and supporters in the stands wearing the uniforms of their former clubs?
During the final lap, there were many such scenes, and I was so happy. I was able to confirm that I was able to make plays that resonated with my heart, including good plays and other things that were rewarding, or rather, unforgettable, when I was in the team. I was able to feel this during one lap, so I was very grateful.
–What do free kicks mean to you? All four shots were within the frame, but please tell us about your commitment to accuracy.
Because I missed the PK. Don’t do it because it’s embarrassing (lol) Free kicks make up less than 10% of my play, so I have to figure out where to receive the ball in other plays, positioning, and always find 2-3 passing paths before the ball arrives. , out of so many things, I was conscious of less than 10% of them, and although they were nothing more than projectiles, I still cherished them because they were the last thing left. I feel glad that I did. Hmm, I’m particular about it…I think free kicks and set plays were often what moved the game, both for the Japan national team and for various clubs, so I think I gained a sense of responsibility for that in my first year as a professional player. I was selected as a kicker in my first year, and the players I match with are great, so I have to do it in a pinpoint manner, which gives me ideas. I feel like I was able to bring out my abilities because I had good players among my teammates. I often say this in interviews, but if there are former Japanese representatives lined up against a wall, you should never hit them. So I have to go above and beyond, and I have to make a decision because Nohkatsu is ahead of me. The fact that I was able to practice under extremely difficult conditions was a factor in my improvement. One of them is the free kick.
――Since kindergarten, you have played at Yokohama Fukaen SC, Yokohama Marinos Junior Youth, and Kiriko Gakuen High School.Do you have a message for the coaches of your training age group? Is there any guidance you received from them that you are currently using in your own life as a coach?
Mr. Wakabayashi was here today, and although he was very strict, he also hated losing, so he treated me with the same passion, and I think that’s when I really got hooked. He was a person who believed that as long as you had a dream, the path would open to you, and that he would forgive you for making mistakes but not slacking off, and that he was very good at working on basic techniques, which was great for me. When I was a junior youth player, I worked with coach Higuchi even at the top, and he was very good at praising me, and as a human being, I’m happy to receive praise, and I think that’s something that’s really useful to me now. It’s not about the timing and quality of the praise, it’s about the timing, not everything, but it gives me a sense of security that the players are paying attention to me, and that’s what I want to acquire now. Mr. Sakuma at Toko Gakuen. He doesn’t ask me to do much, but when I was practicing free kicks, he told me it was a night game and he wanted to turn off the lights and go home (lol). Even though I’ve been working all the time and can’t really get home, they’ve been waiting for me. Also, since it is a high school club activity, I would like to learn about the various disciplines and overall management. Even after I became a professional, I met many different coaches, but I tried to remember if there was anything I could benefit from or gain when I was in this position, and I tried to imitate them just like playing soccer. I’ve been doing a lot of things this past year, and I want to continue doing them in the future.
–You said that you were still learning after becoming a coach, but have you ever realized how deep and interesting soccer is when you’re in a position to teach?
It’s something that I often have to verbalize, but over the years that I’ve been playing soccer, I’ve been able to build a relationship of trust with the coaches who are the ones who don’t talk much, and who are the ones who look at me and look at me. ing. It is more difficult to create such relationships, but I feel that there are many established patterns that move us in the right direction, including during my time as a player. I’m not the manager or the head coach, but I’m the coach who supports them, so it’s difficult in many ways, but for example, when Yokohama FC isn’t winning, players return to their lockers at halftime, and players break down in tears and can’t stand up. Thinking that I have this role, I try to sit here with the players without talking, or I switch things up and tell them to change their clothes because they’re going to catch a cold, and I look for things that only I can do right now, and that’s why. That’s what keeps me at the top. I want to be in the field, and I act because I believe that the field is where I can make the most of myself. I think language is also important, so I would like to study that as well.
–Since you said at your retirement press conference last season that you would like to become a coach, you have talked to various people, including Coach Sakuma from his time at Toko Academy, Hirose-san, your classmate at Yokohama Fukaen SC, and the second Nakamura. You’ve all said in unison that you want to develop Shunsuke, and what kind of elements do you need to create good players for the future youth generation? Do you want to develop a second Shunsuke Nakamura under your guidance?
Hmm…I think there are limits to just being a leader, so I think it’s important to manage things including the home environment and other things. I teach students every day by erasing things like things like, “I would have done this if it were me.” Each person has a different physique, way of thinking, and personality, so I am conscious of trying to get close to them and blend in with them. Speaking of Yokohama FC this season, (Inoue) Shion has changed a lot. I don’t interact with them with the intention of changing that, but in my casual daily life, I gradually learn the joy of playing soccer, and casually repeat things like, “Shion, that was great.” Of course, if I were a first coach or manager, I would be able to tell you about the details of the play, but I can’t say that much from my position, so I think that’s the way I approach them. Mr. Higuchi is a great ally, so I think I was one of those people who just let me get away with it (lol). When I make an extreme through pass, people on the bench say, “I’m so numb!” When I look over there, I see him numb on the bench (lol). I’m so happy, aren’t I? When you say things like, “Did you see that?” to the kids on the bench, or “Even if you looked the other way, you were kicking from the outside,” we can share the joy and joy of playing soccer, and that will help us grow as a team. I think it will continue to change, so I want to take care of that.
–This concludes Shunsuke Nakamura’s retirement press conference.
thank you very much.
2023-12-17 13:34:58
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