Makoto Hasebe has been playing for Eintracht Frankfurt for more than seven years. He is also the oldest active Bundesliga player: an overview of his career.
Frankfurt – He has been a professional footballer for 19 years, seven of which he has already spent at Eintracht Frankfurt: Makoto Hasebe is currently the player with the most experience at the SGE with more than 340 Bundesliga games. Eintracht signed the native Japanese in 2014. Hasebe has been an integral part of the squad since then. He celebrated the high point of his career in 2018 with Eintracht’s 3-1 victory in the DFB Cup final against FC Bayern Munich.
But Hasebe’s career is not all about highlights. The German championship with VfL Wolfsburg in 2009 was followed by injuries at 1. FC Nürnberg. The Bundesliga veteran once made his way into professional football in Japan – an overview.
Makoto Hasebe from Eintracht Frankfurt: His beginnings in Japan
Makoto Hasebe was born on January 18, 1984 in Fujieda, a city in southern Japan. Hasebe started playing soccer at the age of 15. The Japanese made his first assignments for the soccer team at his school, the Fujieda Higashi High School. There he stood on the field for three years until he made it to the Japanese professional league.
After graduating from high school in 2002, Hasebe moved to the professional club Urawa Red Diamonds. He joined the club as an ambitious midfielder, but was often left behind in his first season. In the following seasons, however, he developed into a regular player – and in the end was an important pillar in the game system of the Japanese first division club. Hasebe started 132 times in 150 appearances for the Urawa Red Diamonds. In just under five years with the Diamonds, the Libero won the national league cup, the Supercup, the Imperial Cup twice, the Japanese championship and the AFC Champions League, Japan’s most important title.
Makoto Hasebe: Change to Germany and nomination for the national team
In 2006 Hasebe was finally appointed to the squad of the Japanese national team for the first time. Under the coaching of the Brazilian soccer star Zico, he played his first international match against the USA on February 11, 2006, but the then 22-year-old was not nominated for the World Cup in Germany.
Nevertheless, Hasebe was to get on the plane to Germany only a short time later. In January 2008, the Japanese left his first professional club, the Urawa Red Diamonds, and moved to the Bundesliga for VfL Wolfsburg. There he was used by coach Felix Magath mainly in the defensive and offensive midfield. In the following season, Hasebe had to fight for his place in the starting line-up of the “Wolves”. On the 34th matchday, Wolfsburg was finally able to secure its first German championship of club history with a 4-1 home win against Werder Bremen. Hasebe did his part with 25 missions in which he prepared three goals.
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The following seasons were bumpy for the Japanese and VfL Wolfsburg. You could gain your first Champions League experience in the year after the German championship. In the Bundesliga, however, the Wolfsburg squad only ended up in the lower midfield in some cases in the following years. The 6th matchday of the 2011/12 season will not be forgotten. At that time, Hasebe was between the posts in the game against TSG Hoffenheim from the 80th minute. After goalkeeper Marvin Hitz saw the red card, a field player had to take over the role of goalkeeper. “I was for Hasebe. The Japanese are very disciplined and can play in any position, ”said head coach Felix Magath at the press conference after the game. The unskilled goalkeeper could not keep a clean slate. In the 85th minute, Roberto Firmino scored to make it 3-1.
Makoto Hasebe in the VfL Wolfsburg jersey in 2011.
© Imago Sportfotodienst/Imago Images
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Unlucky Makoto Hasebe: The descent with Nuremberg
During his time in Wolfsburg, Hasebe was again nominated for the Japanese national team. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he played all games as a team captain in the starting line-up. Since then, “Hase” has played two more world championships. While the Japanese national team failed in the group stage in 2014, they were only eliminated in the round of 16 against Belgium in 2018. In 2018, Hasebe was named Asia’s International Footballer of the Year by the Asia Football Confederation.
Makoto Hasebe in the 1. FC Nürnberg jersey in 2013.
© Imago Sportfotodienst/Imago Images
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After his time in Wolfsburg, Hasebe moved to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2013. There followed perhaps the most difficult time for the Japanese international. After a difficult start to the season with 13 games, in which the FCN could only get nine points, Hasebe’s meniscus tear followed. There was a break of almost four months. On the last day of the match, however, he was back in the starting line-up, but could not prevent the 4-1 defeat against FC Schalke 04 and thus relegation.
Makoto Hasebe – and his move to Eintracht Frankfurt
On July 1, 2014, Makoto Hasebe finally moved from the second division club Nuremberg back to the first Bundesliga at Eintracht Frankfurt. There Hasebe was able to assert himself as a regular player under coach Thomas Schaaf. In the 2014/15 season he only missed one competitive game due to a yellow card suspension. A year later, Hasebe was an integral part of the Frankfurt midfield. At that time, they were worried about staying up until shortly before the end, but were able to prevail in the relegation against Hasebe’s ex-club Nuremberg.
His playing time under coach Niko Kovač brought Hasebe a change of position. Instead of playing in front of the defense, “Hase” itself became part of the central defense. He occupied the central link in the Frankfurt five-man chain. With the defensive style of play, Eintracht made it into the DFB Cup final in 2017, in which they had to admit defeat 1: 2 against Borussia Dortmund. But the following year they made it into the DFB Cup final again. This time the opponent was FC Bayern Munich. After a disappointing eighth place, the last game was also the last chance to qualify for the Europa League. In a heated final game, Eintracht Frankfurt prevailed 3-1 against the record champions – and were able to fulfill their dream of international business. At the same time, the Adler won a title for the first time in 30 years. The Japanese stood in the final as a cornerstone of the central defense on the field.
| Name | Makoto Hasebe |
|---|---|
| date of birth | January 18, 1984 |
| place of birth | Fujieda, Japan |
| Position | Defensive midfield, central defender |
| Stations as a player | Fujieda-Higashi-High-School Soccer Team, Urawa Red Diamonds, VfL Wolfsburg, 1. FC Nürnberg, Eintracht Frankfurt |
| National team | Japan National Team (2006 to 2018) |
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In the 2018/19 Europa League, Hasebe played all 14 games for the full length of the season. After successfully leaving international greats like Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan and Benfica Lisbon behind, they were eliminated in the semifinals against eventual cup winners FC Chelsea.
In addition to his success in the Europa League, his 309th appearance in the Bundesliga on June 6, 2020 against 1. FSV Mainz 05 was a milestone in his career. This made Hasebe the Asian record player in the Bundesliga. Hasebe has been a veteran ever since. At the beginning of the 2020/21 season, the Japanese was the oldest player in the Bundesliga at the age of 36. The Japanese is now 37 years old. With 342 Bundesliga games, he is currently the deputy captain of Eintracht, behind Sebastian Rode.
Makoto Hasebe: Eintracht legend and “model professional”
With currently more than 340 appearances and seven years playing time at Eintracht, Hasebe is the most experienced player in the squad. The 37-year-old is highly regarded in the club and is often referred to as a “model professional” because of his hard work and willpower. In the course of his career, “Hase” developed into an absolute leading player and ended his career with the Japanese national team as captain after 114 international matches.
The “Japanese pool builder” has repeatedly demonstrated his unbelievable willpower on the pitch. For example, in the 2018 cup final, when Bayern player Corentin Tolisso spiked the ball off his foot in the very last second in the 69th minute, preventing the perhaps decisive deficit. For many fans, the Japanese combines all the qualities of a “model professional”: game intelligence, leadership qualities, passion, willpower and loyalty to the club. The current trainer of Eintracht Oliver Glasner also thinks a lot of Makoto Hasebe: “What Makoto says has a hand and foot. When we talk, I hang on his every word. I have so much respect for him for how he deals with this situation that he may not have as many minutes of play as he is professional and coach the boys in training .. “(aa)
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