2011/12 Gotoku Sakai @ VfB Stuttgart (GER) Thread [R]

2 assists today if I believe Kicker's twitter feed.

 

2 crosses it seems.

Found them:

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm17746109?via=thumb_watch

 

He played on the right side??? I thought he was a left fullback like Nagatomo! Than he can play both side and so as the right fullback for the NT? That's awesome!!! (w/o any grudge for Uchida senshu...)

 

It's amazing how strong Sakai is. He is very solid in defense and grat in attaclking. 14 games and 5 assists are great.

 

He deserves a better level and the next season Europa League will be the right platea for him!

 

The two assists again, and an interview where he says he thinks only about playing for Japan, without going into too much detail though.

 

Isn't he also eligible to play for the US national team? Not sure if he speaks English, or even German for that matter, but since he was born in US I'm assuming he's a citizen. Kind of cool that he has three citizenships (assuming he's also eligible for a German passport if his name's tossed around for the national team).

 

Didn't he said in some interview some time ago that mother taught him words from normal daily life without grammar?

 

Well I read an article about him and Okazaki in SportBild, where they said that Sakai would be soon speaking German better than their current interpreter (Okazaki would be hopeless learning it though... ).

Sakai also said specifically he wants to play for Japan at the Olympics. Not sure if that would secure him for Japan A-team though, since the Olympic teams are just U-23 teams and if that would leave him the opportunity to still play for Germany later.

P.S.: I think it´s unlikely he will play for Germany, since the German Federation doesn´t approach players already in the setup of another countries national teams. Besides he grow up in Japan and is clearly a Japanese first.

 

Their interpreter is a coach actually who worked for one of VfB's youth teams and was promoted after Okazaki was signed.

Sakai made a general statement on Japanese TV (post #181) where he says his feeling are all Japanese NT.

I guess Sport Bild wants to make more than one article so they avoid to write just everything at once.

 

If true (source is Daily Mirror) it would be interesting if Stuttgart pulls a Cesena.

 

Please no send him to Bayern, no sense to let Heynwhateverhisnameis ruins another Samurai Blue's bright future.
Instead Milan's option could be an interesting one! It will be nice to see two japanese fullbacks in the derby of Milan!

 

the combination of these three clubs makes me think he has a good agent ... only lacks Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG.

 

Gotoku Sakai was even named as one of the 11 best sidebacks of the Bundesliga.He is on place 10 according to Kicker.de and thats with only a few games,very great.

http://mediadb.kicker.de/news/1000/1020/1100/3000/slideshow/771466/image_slshow_einzel_0_10.jpg

 

top ten and actually it says that the last four are named alphabhetically

 

He deserves more than a 10th place. I really wanna know if the 9 before him have had a good season like him...

 

Sakai Gotoku ranked first in whoscored's recent article:


Hot Prospect Scout: Five Top Young Full-Backs

 

http://www.soccer-king.jp/news/world/ger/20120813/65589.html

Labbadia and Bobic are angry as Gotoku was called now for the senior NT just before the season starts.

 

haha

 

I would understand their anger better if they signed him on a permanent deal.

 

I hope he will play at least half time.

 

Zac needs to give him playing time then, also, he's young and won't suffer from jetlag. He'll make it in time, I believe in Gotoku.