The keyword for the new Gamba team under Head Coach JENS WISSING is “forward.”
All the players and staff members have taken these words to heart,
He is approaching football with a stronger forward-looking mindset in his playing, thinking, and even in his way of life as a footballer.
This season’s WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA is a group of men who are “forward-moving”
The program will highlight breakthrough moments, such as experiences or encounters that had a major impact on one’s career.
What kind of world did they find beyond that?
“I want to quit Gamba Youth”
Nakatsumi Naru, who grew up at the GAMBA OSAKA Academy from his junior days, once had this feeling. It was about a year after he was promoted to the GAMBA OSAKA Youth team. At the time, he was fighting against the “wall” that had appeared before him for the first time.
“From the fourth grade of elementary school, I often played in matches with teams of older players, and even during my time with Gamba Kadoma Junior Youth, I always played for the team one level above me from my second year of junior high school onwards, and from then on I was always in the starting lineup. In the summer of my 2nd year of junior high school year of junior high school, I performed well in a match against Gamba Junior Youth, which led to me being invited to Gamba Youth, and I started playing for them from high school onwards. However, the football they played was completely different from Gamba Kadoma Junior Youth, and I didn’t do as much technical training, so at first I often felt like I was losing out in terms of physical strength and technique. Even so, I was able to start in the starting lineup at the beginning of my first year, but halfway through, I started to have trouble scoring with my signature left-footed shots… My opportunities to play gradually decreased, and I felt like “no matter what I did, nothing was working,” and it became difficult for me to play soccer. I think I was losing out mentally. I was living in a dormitory at the time, and I called my mother crying and told her, “I want to quit.”
However, after many conversations with Head Coach Daisuke MACHINAKA and his mother telling him, “If you keep at it, you’ll be able to do it someday,” Nakazumi decided not to go. He focused on improving himself, and as a result, he gradually began to get playing time starting in the middle of his second year of high school. Learning about movement initiation and shooting timing from Academy striker coach Masashi OGURO(currently Nara Club Head Coach) also contributed to this change.
“After each match, Oguro analyzed the play of each FW, showing us in detail how we could improve by watching the video. I felt like I was getting better by trying out what I learned through my own practice.”
It was in the final of the Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) that Nakazumi felt that all of this effort had paid off. Having not scored a single goal in the tournament, Nakazumi finally delivered the long-awaited shot. His heart was moved by the words of Head Coach Machinaka after the match.
“There was a mental training session before the semi-finals, which really raised my spirits, and the Head Coach told me before the semi-finals, ‘It’s important for you to score, but you have to think about the team winning,’ which really helped me relax. I went into the game thinking I’d be happy if the team won, and although I didn’t score in the semi-finals, we made it to the finals, where I scored the opening goal. After the game, the Head Coach told me, ‘I believed in you,’ which really touched me.”
At the same time, his success on the big stage gave him confidence and helped him to realize his “dream.”
“Ever since I was little, I’ve watched many Gamba matches at the Expo’70 Memorial Stadium and Panasonic Stadium Suita. I wrote “I want to join Gamba” on a strip of paper at Tanabata in kindergarten, and I’ve always wanted to start my professional career wearing the Gamba emblem. One of my dreams has come true, but this is just the beginning. While I’m amazed to find myself kicking the ball on the same team as the players I’ve admired and watched since I was a child, I’m only frustrated by the fact that I haven’t been able to play in a match. I want to get on the pitch soon and become a player who can help Gamba win.”
His current goal is to become a player who can score in any way. Just like in the club youth final, he is fighting to get that one goal that will move his team and his career forward.
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Text by Takamura Misa
AloJapan.com