Shinji Kagawa has Belgium in his sights for Monday’s World Cup last 16 clash after the Red Devils’ Twitter account confused him with Japanese wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura at the weekend. Kagawa is set to lead Japan’s attack when the Asian underdogs take on Roberto Martinez’s star-studded Belgium in Rostov on Monday for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The 29-year-old ex-Manchester United midfielder was mixed up with Japanese WWE star Nakamura when the Belgium team’s Twitter handler meant to tag the footballer on Saturday.
The blunder happened in a Tweet when Belgium’s Adnan Januzaj was talking up his former Old Trafford team-mate as Japan’s danger man. However, instead of using Kagawa’s Twitter handle the official Belgium account instead tagged wrestling star Nakamura, 38, who even jokingly replied.
Belgian social media mistakes aside, Kagawa is key to Japan’s hopes of making the quarter-finals at a World Cup finals for the first time. Along with fellow senior players Yuya Osako and captain Makoto Hasebe, Kagawa was one of six changes from the side which earned a 2-2 draw with Senegal for the 1-0 defeat to Poland in the final group game.
Japan squeezed into the knockout rounds at Senegal’s expense because they had picked up fewer yellow cards. It will take a shock win in the last 16 to rival Russia’s penalty shoot-out victory over Spain if Japan are to beat Belgium.
“I hope we can surprise them,” said Kagawa, who has scored 31 goals in 94 appearances for Japan.
Skillful, fleet-footed and capable of splitting defences with a single pass, Kagawa has a reputation as a box-to-box midfielder. He was a key cog in Borussia Dortmund winning back-to-back German league titles in 2011 and again in 2012, the year Man Utd lured him away after he scored 13 goals with 12 assists in 31 Bundesliga games.
Having cost Dortmund 350,000 euros ($409,622) from J-League side Cerezo Osaka in 2010.
A hero in the eyes of the Borussia Dortmund faithful, as well as his legions of fans in his native Japan and far beyond.
Few people, least of all Kagawa, would have known what to expect when the fresh-faced attacking midfielder arrived at Dortmund in the summer of 2010.
The then 21-year-old was the club’s fourth and final signing of the close season, following the arrivals of goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, full-back Lukasz Piszczek and another young attacker who was moving abroad for the first time – Lech Poznan’s Robert Lewandowski.
Kagawa was highly rated in his homeland, having helped Cerezo Osaka return to the J League by plundering 27 league goals in 2009. He had also graduated from Japan’s Olympic team to the senior squad and Dortmund made their move once he had netted seven times in 11 matches in the Japanese top flight.
At the time, the 1997 European champions were rebuilding under Jürgen Klopp, having finished fifth and sixth in the German’s first two seasons in charge. “The first training session was very tough,” Kagawa said when he was unveiled by the club. “I can’t say yet how long it will take before I get used to the physical game here in Germany. But I think that I will adapt to it very quickly and also establish myself in the team.”
The new recruit’s faith in his own ability was entirely justified. Kagawa scored his first Bundesliga goal for Dortmund in his third appearance, a 2-0 home win over 2009 German champions Wolfsburg. The bargain signing became an instant hit with the fans after a double in a derby win at Schalke a week later and by the winter break, he had eight goals in 18 matches.
The No23 helped Dortmund become winter champions but his progress was halted after breaking a bone in his foot at the Asian Cup that January. When the Japanese star returned as a late substitute on the final day of the season, however, Dortmund had already been crowned as German champions for the first time since 2002.
Kagawa’s second year was even more successful. He again finished as Die Schwarzgelben’s second top-scorer, weighing in with 13 goals during what proved a thrilling title race with a rejuvenated Bayern Munich.
The bulk of those goals came at home – further enhancing his reputation with the fans – and his vision produced nine precious assists as Klopp’s side successfully defended their title. To cap a remarkable campaign, Kagawa also pounced for the opening goal and set up the crucial third as Dortmund thrashed Bayern 5-2 in the DFB Cup final. It was the first time the club had completed the domestic double.
He was the one major departure from Dortmund in the summer of 2012 – joining Manchester United for a fee reported to be in the region of €22 million. He struggled in the 2012/13 season, stuck on the right wing to accomodate Wayne Rooney, who was by then a fading force at Old Trafford, leaving Japan’s star on the fringes when United won the Premier League. Things did not improve during David Moyes’ short reign and Kagawa returned to Dortmund in 2014 hoping to rebuild his confidence.
Injuries disrupted his return under Jurgen Klopp, whose successors Thomas Tuchel, then Peter Bosz had other ideas to fill the attacking midfield role at Dortmund.
Peter Stoeger, Dortmund’s caretaker coach last season after Bosz was fired, put Kagawa in his starting side.
He responded with three goals and as many assists in nine Bundesliga games before illness and an ankle injury struck in February. Kagawa opened his Russia 2018 account with a penalty in the 2-1 win over Colombia and his midfield battle with Belgian ace Kevin de Bruyne promises to be a fascinating sideshow in Rostov.