Takumi Minamino will be part of Japan’s World Cup campaign despite still recovering from injury, with the forward taking on a mentor role and looking to “give maximum support” to the squad.
The Japanese international ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee while playing for AS Monaco in December, an injury that typically sidelines players for six to nine months, ending his hopes of featuring at the finals.
The 31-year-old’s injury is a big blow for Japan. The former Liverpool player has made 73 appearances and scored 26 goals for the Samurai Blue.
Minamino was a key figure in Japan’s qualification campaign, but will now contribute off the pitch, having been drafted into the World Cup setup to provide support based on his own experience.
“Before anything, I’m happy I could join this group,” Minamino was quoted as saying by Japan’s Kyodo News on Wednesday. “Lots of people helped me get here and I’m hoping to give my maximum support to the team by offering my personal experience and coming up with my own approach.”
“As expected, the first few weeks were tough. Injuries are part and parcel of being an athlete, but the timing of it and, of course, there was that emotion I had for this World Cup,” Minamino said.
Minamino’s role reflects a trend among teams to value off‑field influence as much as on‑field impact. Australia took a similar approach during their 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar, appointing forward Martin Boyle as an “Official Vibes Manager”.
Japan will also lean on former captain Maya Yoshida, who has been included in this year’s World Cup setup as a support player.
Japan head to their eighth successive World Cup finals, buoyed by a string of high-profile victories and with coach Hajime Moriyasu bullish about their chances of reaching the tournament’s latter stages.
Japan have been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia and open their campaign against the Dutch on June 14 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas.
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