http://www.sportschosun.com/news/sports/200302/20030226/32z06007.htm sorta reminds of the Gascoigne story. But here goes the translation: The first time I saw Maezono was March, 1996. It was during the Atlanta Olympic Asian Qualifiers that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and it was a battle between Korea, Saudi Arabia, and a Japanese team where Maezono was the center of the squad. At the finals, as it broke down to be, Korea defeated Japan 2-1 and although both nations earned themselves a ticket to Atlanta, the fans of both countries only wanted victory - so did the players that displayed 90 minutes of pure intensity. Although Maezono, who at the time was praised to follow Miura Kazuyoshi as the back bone of Japan, lost the game to Korea, there was a twinkle in his eye and walked off the pitch with admirable confidence. There was something about his aura that made Choi Yong-soo, the game winning goal scorer, incomparable to Maezono. I still cannot forget Maezono's face and the twinkle in his eye he showed that night. And it stayed in my heart and I rememberd it, only for a while. I had the chance to catch a few more Maezono games and I praised him for his ball touch and his intenisty towards the game. But that was it. Questionably, his skill and his game did not follow his fame, and news articles about Maezono began to disappear. Soon, not surprisingly, Maezono was erased from the minds of the fans. It was so sudden. "He was young, he was treated like a star...all his commercial appereances...and his developing taste for money..." a JFA spokesman told me about Maezono. Later on, Maezono went down to the Japanese second division, then on to South America, roaming the sub-continent unsecurely, with no real place to go. Then he came to Korea, and set his foot in Anyang-only after being declined by Seongnam Ilhwa. His contract only consisted of a game winning bonus of 3500 dollars and a million yen for a year. In Japan, a million yen is what younger players recieve after first setting foot in the pro's. Maezono now have begun to re-start his career at the age of 30. His ball handling skills, his vision on the game, his inch-perfect passes are still there but his phsyique was sub-par - and it was a gift from his long and lonesome years in South America. Although he is working hard in Turkey where Anyang set up camp, coach Jo Gwang-rae still seems displeased. However, when the new season starts in March, Maezono will debut in the K-League and everyones eyes will be on him. Youngsters that have a dream, and understand the power of that dream should always remember a Japanese player named Maezono. Remeber his footballing skills, his decline in life, and his bravery and courage to re-start his life and career with only a contract that was once his spending money on a night out at the age of 30.
I too remember him from '96 olympics qualifiers. It's surprising that he has a lot of fans in korea when he's pretty much forgotton in Japan. It's very unusual. Hope he rebounds in K-league and return to the national team in '06WC.
Thanks for the article. I also think its interesting to hear that Maezono is still remembered in Korea. The only mistake in the article is that Maezono went to S.America directly from Verdy, when he was still fairly popular, and didnt go down to the J2 until after his return to Japan. It also doesnt mention his drinking problems, which are the most likely reason for his poor condition. Still, it is interesting to hear the Korean press still shows an interest in him. I hope he can manage to revive his career a bit (though Im not holding my breath)