Recently, FIFA officially interviewed J.League legend Shusaku Nishikawa, the veteran who has just regained the captain’s armband of Urawa Reds, shared his thoughts on the Club World Cup, which will be held in 25 years.
Shusaku Nishikawa said: “With the change in the Club World Cup format and the significant increase in the number of participating teams, I believe this tournament will attract more attention compared to the one I previously participated in, but we won’t be there just to make up the numbers, we’re determined to make a memorable performance. Because we play in the J.League, we usually only get to see the performances of top European clubs on TV, so I’m very much looking forward to facing them head-to-head, and so is Urawa as a club, we are Asian champions, and we have confidence in ourselves.”
“If J.League teams can achieve good results in the AFC Champions League, they will be able to participate in the Club World Cup, I believe this will be a huge source of motivation for them. The experience of competing with the world’s top teams is priceless, the Club World Cup is undoubtedly a significant milestone in my career, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
“I participated in last year’s Club World Cup, which was a very disappointing experience, winning the first battle gave us the chance to face Manchester City, I really enjoyed those 90 minutes, and I think we performed well in many aspects, but the 0-3 score reflected the gap in strength, it was really disappointing. In this tournament, we have lost many members who participated in the last Club World Cup, and the current team is centered around young players, I think this is very positive. As the oldest player in the team, I hope I can lead by example with outstanding performances, so that they can play confidently without fear of making mistakes.”
“I think one thing is constant, and that is the support of our fans, this passionate support is the driving force behind our three Asian Champions League victories. I hope there will be many fans going to the US to watch our 25th Club World Cup matches, since our supporters are going all out, we as players must also show this determination on the pitch.”
At the age of 38, Shusaku Nishikawa has played 468 games for Urawa Reds since 2014, and is on track to break the 500 game milestone in his career. However, in the J.League match last weekend, Nishikawa charged out to tackle the Cerezo Osaka forward Marcelo and received his first red card since the beginning of his career. Shusaku Nishikawa will be 39 years old when the 2025 Club World Cup opens, and we can only wait and see if this legendary goalkeeper will be able to maintain his good form and play in the tournament.
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