The 2022 World Cup for Japan has already ended, after the national team was eliminated by Croatia in the penalties of the round of 16. And one of the most internationally known players from the Asian country, forward Takumi Minamino, stands out not only for being the number 10 of the team but also for having his name recorded in the Guinness Book, the book of records.
Even being a former Liverpool player and having participated in some matches for the national team of his country, Minamino did not break a record because of his performance as a footballer – in fact, the brand is not even related to the world of football.
When he was 19, in 2014, and still defending Cerezo Ozaka, the Japanese athlete became the person who distributed the most “high fives” in a single minute. For those who don't know, a "high five" is that greeting in which one person slaps the palm of the hand on another person's hand with the arm extended over the head.
At the time, Minamino put 187 people in a single line, ran out and, in just 1 minute, managed to touch each of their hands. So he immortalized his name in Guinness, getting a record to call his own. Even so, a while later the Japanese had his mark sured by someone else, who distributed more “high fives” than him, even though he was not very famous.
Despite being the top scorer of the Japanese national team among those called up for the World Cup, Minamino was not chosen as a starter in the first phase of the championship, having been activated only in the final minutes against and Costa Rica. Currently, he plays for Monaco, European team.
Japan has never managed to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup, and people who like to guess at the tournament rarely choose this team as the victor.
Elimination
After the elimination on penalties, the Nippon team was welcomed by an “Aerojapa” upon returning to the country. The fans “invaded” the main airport of the capital of Japan, Haneda, and applauded the players who managed to take the country to the round of 16.
Japan had already reached the round of 16 in other editions of the tournament (2002, 2010 and 2018), but this time they managed to defeat very strong teams, such as Spain, and taking the match to penalties against the current runner-up, Croatia.
"I believe that they (players) have shown us the new era of Japanese football. It's not just about making it to the round of 16, but about establishing new foundations. We defeated and Spain, which means we beat former World Cup champions," emphasized coach Hajime Moriyasu.
It is worth noting that, of all the country's participations in the biggest football event in the world, this was the team with the most players playing in Europe. Hajime Moriyasu also commented that Japan is going through a different moment in the sport, with better quality and performance on the field.
After the elimination, before returning to his country, the coach praised the work and attitude of his squad. “I asked them to decide [the order] of penalties. Of course, some of them had better conditions, but they still had to try under immense pressure”, began Moriyasu, who has been in charge of the national team since 2018.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to commend everyone's efforts. The results were unfortunate, but it happens. That doesn't nullify all the effort. Players can be assured that they are prepared to play on the world stage. They showed how well they can play at a World Cup and I hope they keep it up. May Japanese football continue to grow”, he concluded.
