It was Takefusa Kubo who led Japan to victory in its men's soccer opener at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
"Even in difficult times, I kept telling myself that 'I'm the one to score,'" the 20-year-old player in the first division of the Spanish league told media after the Olympic game against South Africa.
Although Kubo has an image as a precocious genius, he overcame a series of setbacks and has experienced hardships in competitions.
At the age of 10, Kubo moved to Spain where he developed his skills at the youth academy of prestigious Spanish club FC Barcelona. But when the club was hit by sanctions for violating the international transfer policy for players under 18, Kubo was forced to return to Japan against his wishes.
He joined FC Tokyo's junior youth team, about which he later recalled, "It was a hard time."
In both FC Tokyo, where he debuted in the top division of the J.League at the age of 16, and Yokohama F. Marinos, which he joined on loan, Kubo struggled to get as much playing time for the teams as he wanted.
"I wanted to go back to Europe. I'd decided to give up if I couldn't play abroad at age 18," he recalled.
Returning from Marinos to FC Tokyo, Kubo went all out to get his chance. Tokyo FC Manager Kenta Hasegawa looked back and said, "When he came back to us, his commitment was different from what he was before."
Having returned to Spain, Kubo is showing himself to be a very tough player.
On Thursday, Kubo scored the winning goal at Tokyo Stadium, the home ground in his time in FC Tokyo.
"It's great that I could haul in our team's victory," Kubo said.
Thursday's game proved that Kubo is the leading player on Japan's national team, which is considered the nation's strongest Olympic soccer team ever.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
