"Tales of the mentors" is a series of interviews with former mentors of the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) players. In this first article, we interviewed coach UCHINO Tomoaki of Kokoku High School about FURUHASHI Kyogo (Celtic FC/Scotland), who plays for the SAMURAI BLUE and on the European stage with his outstanding speed and scoring ability.

○This interview was conducted on 28 September 2022

He had the physical ability and character to play for the national team and on the European stage

――What was your first impression of Furuhashi?

UCHINO　When he entered high school he was about 162, 3cm tall, pale and thin. He wasn't a standout player, but I remember him as being very speedy. In junior high school he wore number 10 for Athpegas Ikoma FC but was not selected for the Nara prefectural training centre. He was a player who didn’t get recruited by any of the strong high schools in Osaka.

――Was his speed outstanding back then?

UCHINO　When he took part in Kokoku High School's practice, I thought his movement was unique, as he often found his way behind the defenders in the mini-games. In the 10-minute mini-game, there were a number of occasions when he could have scored if he had better passing and shooting skills, making him an interesting player. When I told him, “You have a way of getting behind the defenders that coaches can't teach, and you have good speed. If you learn how to dribble and shoot at Kokoku High School, you'll be unstoppable. With your speed, you could definitely go pro,” he immediately responded, “I will commit to Kokoku High School.”

――How did he develop in high school?

UCHINO　At the time his body hadn't fully matured and mentally he was still a child, so he wasn't an adult athlete yet. I could see that he was a bit timid or unsure. However, he was diligent, patient, and also very competitive. He did not grow dramatically during his three years in high school, but he did grow with steady effort. He was able to take on players one-on-one, but my honest impression was that with his ability he should be able to get past one or two more players. At the time, YAMAMOTO Yoshiki (former player of Kataller Toyama) and WADA Tatsuya (Fukui United FC), who turned professional after graduating from high school, were more prominent.

――He went on to Chuo University after high school.

UCHINO　From his first year he was continually selected for the Kanto select team, and even made the All-Japan University team, but there was a time when he was overly pampered by those around him. His university coach informed me that “Kyogo is not doing well. His strength lies in his ability to work hard, but he is not working hard at all,” so I went to watch his match. There I saw him repeatedly drop back in midfield to dish the ball and didn’t hustle back even when losing possession of the ball. After the game, I sent him an email of about 3,000 words that read, “I wanted you to become a player who could bring out the best in his teammates, but your best qualities are your grit and hard work. What do you have those endless endurance for? You are totally wasting your gift.” I was really happy when he mentioned in an interview he gave after he turned pro that “I was awakened by the words of coach Uchino.”

――His success story began after he joined FC Gifu.

UCHINO　I feel that he was destined to become professional. Although he was not recruited by any professional teams until December of his fourth year at university, he was invited to train with Gifu because his coach at Chuo University had connections with Mr. OKI, who had just been appointed coach of Gifu at the time, and that was how he became a professional. Their paths may have been different, but he is now playing for the national team with his classmate Minamino Takumi (AS Monaco/played for Cerezo Osaka U-18 at the time) who was a standout player since his time at Kokoku High School. His former teammates may have expected him to become a professional but would have never expected him to reach that level. Not to mention, playing for Celtic FC and playing against Real Madrid CF (Spain) in the UEFA Champions League. Now looking back, he had the physical ability and character to play for the national team and on the European stage

――Finally, could you give him a message ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™?

UCHINO　I would be thrilled to see you play with other Kansai high school standouts like MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP/Portugal) and KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany). I don’t care how you do it, but I want to see you score a goal at the World Cup. I look forward to seeing you play in one of the three major European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A) one day.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Tournament Dates: Mon. 21 November - Sun. 18 December 2022
[Group Stage]
1st Match: Wed. 23 November 16:00 [Local Time] vs Germany National Team
2nd Match: Sun. 27 November 13:00 [Local Time] vs Costa Rica National Team
3rd Match: Thu. 1 December 22:00 [Local Time] vs Spain National Team

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