Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), well-known as the best friend of the Korean national soccer team, showed his face for the first time in official training.
The Japanese soccer media “Football Zone” reported on the 13th (Korea Standard Time) that Gubo appeared at the team’s training ground two days ago. In an interview with reporters, he said, “I am recovering smoothly with the help of the team’s medical team.”
Gubo injured his left thigh quadriceps during the match against Alaves, who he played before the national team call-up. He also failed to participate in training after entering Qatar. He also missed the final warm-up match against Jordan (6-1 win) on the 9th, ahead of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. 마카오카지노도메인
Gubo’s face was full of beard when he first came to the training ground. Gubo joined the training and warmed up with Daizen Maeda (Celtic) pass game.
“I don’t know if I’ll play in the group league yet,” Gubo said in an interview with Football Zone. “My teammates jokingly told me that I should rest until I recover from my injury. I had a lot of thoughts. Actually, I don’t have a title after becoming a professional. My teammates told me to win the championship.”
Kubo’s return to the team training is a boon for Japan. Japan, which is considered a potential winner along with Korea, has many injured players. Midfielder Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton injured his left ankle in the match against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on April 22 and was diagnosed for six to seven weeks. Unlike Kubo, Kubo has yet to participate in the team training.
Nevertheless, Japan boasts of powerful performance. It scored six goals in the match against Jordan, where most of its key players are absent. As it has won 10 consecutive A-matches, it has scored 45 goals in total. The average score per match is 4.5. “The national team has improved tremendously. One player’s quality is high, but teamwork is the biggest point in this year’s event. Japan is a team that can display strength no matter who comes out,” said Shinji Ono, a Japanese soccer legend.
If Japan and Korea advance to the tournament as No. 1 players in Group D and Group E, respectively, a “Korea-Japan match” will take place in the final. “I hope to meet Lee Kang-in in the final,” Kubo said. Coincidentally, the two will also meet in the round of 16 teams of the UEFA Champions League.
Japan has the largest number of Asian Cup championships (four times). Starting in 1992, Japan came to the throne in 2020, 2004 and 2011, and is aiming the first Asian Cup championship title in 13 years.