2012/14 Shinji Kagawa @ Manchester United (ENG/CL) Thread [R]

It's seems to be official...
CONGRATULATIONS, KAGAWA SHINJI!
Wish you the best @ Manchester United F.C. !

 

Awful jersey, looks like grandma's table towel.

 

This kid is heartbroken...

But still she comes from Japanese to German towards the end

 

i hope shinji and masami will date

 

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/news/2012/06/24/kiji/K20120624003531280.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/news/2012/06/24/kiji/K20120624003533390.html

The interesting part is that he has requested for non-main numbers, including #7, as he considers them all to be earned first. The rest is apparently a speculation; Dortmund's #23, Cerezo Osaka's #26 or #29. Slightly ponderous of an article, but they make it clear that Kagawa has spoken of his "wishes" when he went there yesterday.

 

Nice move. Certainly legendary shirt like the No. 7 holds a special meaning to all Utd fans. If he will start with a non-main shirt number, he'll work his way up and let the fans see if he truly deserves the legendary shirt. If he's really successful, he could create his first shirt into a new legend at Man Utd.

btw, I don't think he'll stick with the same number from previous clubs.

 

well almost all the 20+ numbers are taken at United lol.. he'll get 7.

 

I hope so.

 

Kagawa talking to the press upon return to Japan.
This is where he says something about the number too.

 

Like a baus.

 

Is Kagawa's #23 @ BVB Dortmund is iconic or it just too short to be given that status, only 2 (actually 1.5 years)?

 

The last time SAF gave a young player the #7 shirt on his arival to Man U, his name was Ronaldo . Only a few senior players get to wear it by choice (ask Nani ), but if SAF likes what he see's in the pre-season, I doubt Kagawa will have much say in the matter come the first game of the EPL season.

 

So if he's really good during pre-season, SAF might just force it on Kagawa?

 

you mark my word. kagawa will wear the number seven shirt at united. Now, im reading articles that kagawa is not asking any particular number. when park joined united in 05, there was couple of openings, one of them was number 21. and park was leaning towards that number but ferguson insisted on shorter number. thus park chose number 13. so, there are two opening single digit number 7 and 9.

now, my argument is why wouldn't you put number 7 on the back of kagawa. the fans know the significant value that number hold for team. and if kagawa puss y out and takes another number, then what kind of first impression does he make in the process?. the united fan's expectation of kagawa is unlikely anything we've seen for united in quite sometime.

 

Yep. SAF doesn't do the new school thing of allowing players to pick their own random numbers. Instead he tends to favour that all the senior/established players hold the lowest, and most historically significant numbers in the squad, with only the most gifted youngsters, or big new arrivals to the first team, getting anywhere near the shirts #18 to #2 in their first season.

Right now, being handed the option of the #7 shirt would be a big assertion of the managers faith in Shinji prior to the seasons big kick off. I'm sure SAF wouldn't recommend that the clubs most respected number, go to a player who wasn't already arriving as a recognised star, or going to become the clubs next big one, but if he has a strong first pre-season, I don't see how SAF will allow the #7 option to be put on anybody else but Kagawa.

It's not a good sign if it's true that Kagawa's already nervous about his possible link to the history of #7 shirt . He wouldn't be the worlds first player to feel intimidated by the huge weight of player expectation, at a genuinely huge club, but not taking on board the status and responsibility of #7 shirt, would be a major early sign of mental weakness, for a player about to try and prove himself on a stage that's seen many a talented player wilt under the clubs intense global spot light.

Like you say, he's got to step up, and accept that from now on he won't have anything to hide behind. When SAF say's the clubs great players wear #7, Shinji should be brave enough to say "cool, that's me then", as anything less than that type of confidence/ambition, after two years of success with Dortmund, makes his move to Man U a potentially very dangerous career choice.

 

Interesting way to look at it. From the reactions I've seen, fans see it as a ballsy and humble move to deny being given that number on a platter and instead earn it with his performance. And I see it that way too. "Pussying out" is a cynical way to look at it and way off-base in light of his attitude about this transfer so far. He wouldn't have transferred if he had reservations on how he will perform. Besides, he knows what sort of (huge) expectations everyone will have on him regardless of whether he has the #7 on his back or not.

Personally I want him to wear the #7 from the beginning, but I can totally understand why he would decline it right now.

 

Well, I'm worried about what sort of pension reform Kagawa will bring in his next term in the White House, and how he can stablize the banking sector. I'm afraid you guys are worrying about peanuts in comparison.

 

You know guys, Shinji just wants to earn his spot in the team through hard work. He earned the legendary number in his first pro club Cerezo (number 8 - the number of the legend, Hiroaki Morishima). This should be a natural process but I don't know if that really matters for him right now. It would be much more meaningful if he would go out for a dinner with former club's legendary 7's like Beckham or Cantona and one of them would say 'You should wear number 7 shirt'. Saying that he lacks self-confidence is stupid. He's not as showy as Ronaldo with that but when he was 19 and was the first 'Heisei born player in Japanese NT' he was saying things like 'I want to lead JNT for international success in the future' or saying from the start tha Borussia is only a stepping-stone for his career. And someone writes here that maybe he lacks confidence...

 

It's not "ballsy or humble" to reject SAF's level of expectation. If SAF thinks you can live up to the legacy of Best, Robson &.co, then you better go with the flow, instead of running the other direction for reasons of humility .

For the sake of good team ethics, it's nice to hear that a gifted player isn't a cocky entitled dick, and Shinji also having a level headed/rational point of view towards the difficult nature of the task at hand, should help his ability to crack a regular place in first 11 too, but he shouldn't hide from the pressure people need to put on him as they go searching for success either.

Sounds like a good juxtaposition for the sensationalist talk related to sport and it's often misplaced importance, but we all know if a pension reform was an ideology shaped in a physical sphere like form, Kagawa would have wowed everybody with his understanding of that decades ago .

Your not solving world hunger, or fixing criminal institutions, by playing, watching, or discussing, topics related to football, but who's in here to debate why football takes a back seat to the important democratic social legislation of our day .

In a weird way though, I have to think Kagawa's more of an every day ambassador for Japanese/Asian culture than any elected politician. His time at Man U will continue the work of Ji-Sung Park, as a positive figure for cultural understanding and interest in Asia, for millions of people who still have all kinds of negative views concerning Asian people. So he may not be dealing with a financial crisis, or pension reform, but Kagawa's time in European football is still going to have a hugely important legacy for many unseen reasons.

 

To Kagawa, the No. 7 is no different as the captain's armband. it's holds significant meaning and responsibilities, even more so for him who just transfer to the world's biggest club.

However I don't see Kagawa cowering away from that at all.
While seemingly shy and quiet, sincere and serious with a strong work ethic, hard worker and great ambitions and strong desire to succeed and grow as a player.
Like he said, he wants to earn that No. 7 shirt, and if SAF does indeed will offer him the shirt after a good performance during pre-season, he won't refuse.

btw, in East Asian/Japanese customs, when such a big gift (the legendary no. 7 shirt) is offered, is common to decline the first time to show humility and character. after 2-3 attempts will one accept with honor and dedication. It infused in cultures influenced by Confucian values.
Best example, read Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

 

If Feguson asks him if he wants to wear #7, he will not say no.

 

On his number decision I feel hes being superstitious, the number 7 has so much weight attached to it, he already has enough weight on his shoulders he doesn't want to add to it with the #7. Soccer is a funny sport where what number you wear makes a big difference in your marketability and even to what type of player you are and the expectations that come along with it. 10, 9, 7, 11, etc...so maybe hes trying to differ that much pressure off of him by declining the number, it may not be that much added pressure, but its something. Plus, he wants to make his own name/number, whether or not its true he just wants to avoid the number 7 because of the implications and pressure that come with it.

I think its a smart move, wearing that number might give the wrong idea to his teammates making them think Kagawa thinks hes the savior of the team. Hope that made sense..but Kagawa just wants to make a smooth transition, fit in, and win. Hes not trying to brng any uneeded attention to himself by making a huge fuss over the number. He just wants one, maybe one of significance to him, and then go about his business. I would have liked to see him in the #7 jersey and join the legends like Cantona, Best, Beckham, and Ronaldo...but a number does not make a player and again trying to live up to those names I feel does more harm than good. Its funny that of all the years a Japanese player could have gone to Man Utd. its the year the jersey looks like this over sized picnic table sheet hahaha.