On November 1st, the Japan Football Association announced the 26 members of the Japanese national team for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, and Hiroki Sakai from Urawa Reds was selected. Sakai attended a press conference at Saitama Stadium from 3pm on the same day, where he spoke about his aspirations for the tournament, which begins on Sunday, November 20th.

[Hiroki Sakai]
(How did you feel when you entered the venue through the runway made by the Reds staff?)
"I really wasn't told anything about it, so I'm very happy. I'm so grateful for all your constant support."

(How are you feeling right now and what are your determination for the tournament?)
"I am truly grateful to have been selected, and I would also like to express my gratitude to my club, family, teammates and staff for their daily support. Also, with the World Cup just around the corner, being selected today is not everything; it's just the beginning. All I can do is play to the best of my ability, and I believe that it is our mission to produce results at the World Cup for the players who have been fighting hard every day but whose names were not called at today's (FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 SAMURAI BLUE) squad announcement press conference. I would like to prepare with all my might for that."

(You previously said that you joined the Reds despite opposition from those around you. Looking back on the past year and five months since you joined, what has it been like?)
"Nothing has changed for me. I think of club and national team as completely separate things, and in fact I don't think they should be mixed up. At the club, I do my best to do what I have to do for the club, and at the national team, I do my best to do what I have to do for the national team. It's the same as always, just like when I was at (Olympic) Marseille and Hannover (1996), and I just think I've been playing football as I always have, day by day."

(This is your third time being selected for the FIFA World Cup after 2014 and 2018. Is there any difference in your feelings this time compared to the past?)
"To be honest, I've often had the announcements made while I was on an airplane or traveling, so this was the first time I was able to hear it in real time, so I was more nervous than I was in the past two tournaments."

(What were the past two tournaments like for you, Sakai? And what kind of tournament do you want this one to be?)
"At the Brazil tournament, I felt like I was accompanying the team, and at the Russia tournament, I felt like I was playing. I won't know what will happen this time until I get there, but whether I play or not, I know what I have to do, and I want to do my best to be a positive contributor to the team."

(I think we remember the words of head coach Akira Nishino during the Russia tournament: "Don't forget the skies over Rostov." How have you spent the last four years?)
"As the World Cup approaches, I'm having flashbacks or remembering things, so I'm sure the players who had that experience will want to get revenge, and on the other hand, the players who are experiencing the World Cup for the first time will want to have an experience with the whole team that will help them overcome it from the start."

(What specific scenes do you remember from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia?)
"What I remember most is the first five minutes of the Colombia match. It was neither at home nor away, it was a neutral venue and it felt like a festival, but I was so nervous inside that I still remember the feeling of my strength being off when making a five-meter pass."

(Do you want to fight while keeping in mind the feelings of the late Taketo Kudo?)
"Of course, that's true at the World Cup, but I think it's also true on a daily basis. It's not just the World Cup, but as long as I continue as a soccer player, I want to show good performances."

(How did you feel when you made the announcement?)
"I just said it normally, and I said it after Trial the other day, but this wasn't a goal, I had to prepare on the premise that I would be selected, and if I wasn't selected, I would have to go into the off-season."

(Looking back at the 26 members, what are your thoughts on them and the players who were not selected?)
"I was waiting there just now, and I was quite shaken up. I can't mention any names, but I feel very lonely not being able to compete against the team members I've been with for such a long time, including since the Russia tournament. However, I feel that I need to carry those feelings with me and fight with a strong sense of responsibility, and I hope to be able to give good news after the tournament."

(What do you think was evaluated and why you were selected?)
"That is an evaluation not of me but of Coach Moriyasu (Hajime), and I think the media usually look down on me, so I will leave that up to them."

(What is the World Cup and what kind of tournament do you want it to be?)
"The World Cup is a dream stage for all soccer players, and a place they long for. I've been selected three times now, but I'm just as happy as the first time. I always approach each tournament as if it were my first, so I'd like to approach it with a fresh feeling."

(There isn't much time until the World Cup, but is there anything you are conscious of as a veteran?)
"We will be aiming to win with players who have no prior experience, so I would like to share with them what kind of tournament it is, but at the same time, there are also aspects that I want the younger players to feel for themselves, so I would like to work together while keeping a good balance. The current Japanese national team has many independent, young, mature players who do not need to be told by the veteran players, so it is not because one is superior, but because I trust and rely on each other as players, and I would like to discuss with each other how to achieve victory."

(How do you think you will compete in the group stage, which is full of strong teams, and what do you think is the key to your goal of reaching the top eight?)
"I wonder? I think that's something that the 26 players and staff will have to work together on from now on. I can't get the three points on my own, so I think I just have to fulfill my role within the team's concept. With that in mind, I'm looking forward to what's to come."

(You are returning to the J.League for this tournament, and are the only Urawa Reds player to be selected. You are one of six players from the J.League to be selected. As a domestic player and as a Reds player, what are your thoughts about going into the World Cup?)
"As I said before, I consider the club and the national team to be completely separate entities, but I will be playing in the World Cup as Urawa Reds 'Hiroki Sakai, so I want to perform in a way that lives up to that name, and I want to make the name Urawa Reds known throughout Europe and the world."

(There are children at Saitama Stadium watching you play, and I think there are many children who have been given dreams and hopes by you being selected as a member of the World Cup team. Do you have any message for those children?)
"Of course, I know that the kids come to see us on a daily basis, and it's unfortunate that I can't be proud of this season and say it was a season I was really satisfied with, but I'm determined to win every Trial that comes to see us, so in that sense, I'll do my best to deliver victories to the many kids who will be coming to see us from now on."

(What are your impressions of the countries you will face in the group stage?)
"I'm sure there will be some scouting from now on, so things may change, but I've been in Germany for four years, and they're such a big country that I think you all know them better than I do. It will be difficult to control the ball and Trial, but it's the first match, and I'm sure they will be nervous, so I'm sure there will be weaknesses and chances. I want to win somehow. Costa Rica is from Central and South America, so it's similar to South America, and I think they are the team from the region that Japanese players have the most difficulty with. I think they will be underestimated in this group, but I think they are a very troublesome team, and they are better than Japan in terms of individual strength, so I want to stay focused. We played against Spain at the Tokyo Olympics as well. It was disappointing that we missed out on a place in the finals after they scored a goal in extra time. There are a lot of players from the Olympic team, and they are an opponent I wanted to face, so they are an opponent I want to beat in the future."

(Reds fans will be looking forward to seeing you in action in Qatar, but what kind of play do you want to show to shine on the pitch?)
"I know better than anyone what I can do, and I need to focus on performing to the best of my ability on that nerve-wracking stage, with the quality to bring it all close to 100 percent. I believe it's the coach and the team that will bring it all together, so first of all I want to do is perform as close to my full potential as possible."

(Regarding past tournaments, you mentioned that you accompanied them to the first tournament, and that you were quite nervous in the first match of the second tournament. Do you feel any change in your confidence in the third tournament?)
"No, I don't always have confidence. Or rather, because I'm a defender, I think the moment I gain confidence I'll be defeated, so I think I always have to look up to my opponents and the people I'm facing. I do that in every Trial, so I think I have to do the same this time."

(How did you feel when your name was called at the member announcement press conference? Did you contact anyone after it was over?)
"I think everyone else was nervous, but I didn't know the order in which Coach Moriyasu announced the names, whether it was by age or by position. I was relieved when I was selected, and the staff around me congratulated me."

(In the four years since the last tournament, you have participated in the Olympics in addition to playing for the senior national team. How do you view the team's achievements over these four years? Do you feel that there are any strengths to this team compared to the past two tournaments?)
"I think it's a great strength that young players are independent in a good way. Compared to four or eight years ago, there are more players who are doing well overseas, and looking at the Tokyo Olympics, I think everyone has high expectations that they can make it to the next stage. From here on, it's all about building up and unity, and since this is a short tournament, from here on, although individuals are important, I think management of the team as a whole will also become important. I think that it's up to each and every player to take the initiative. As I've been saying, we will do our best to prepare."

(Having played overseas, what do you feel is necessary to compete against superior opponents?)
"I think the condition is when they are under pressure. I don't mean in the sense of being pressed, but the commonality is that the opponent is inflicting psychological damage on them. It's different for each person, but I think that was a commonality when I beat teams that were stronger than us. As Trial progressed, their expressions and mental state became more and more cornered, and there were times when our own feelings of 'we might be able to win' were reversed, and I think that's when something often happens."

(This World Cup is being held at a different time than usual. For J-League players, it will be held after the season instead of during it. Is it difficult to adjust your condition? Is it different from previous tournaments?)
"Fortunately for me, both of the two European tournaments were held after the season. Now that I've moved to the J-League, the World Cup will be held after the season, so I think I'll be able to approach it with the same feeling as the past two tournaments."

(After the Q&A session, a surprise message from the child was played.)
"I was surprised. I get a lot of energy from them on a daily basis, and I don't really feel like I'm playing alone, so I'm very grateful."

(You must be feeling a lot of energy from your children during this long season and the World Cup.)
"He treats me the same whether we win or lose, and even though I have a lot of work to do as a dad, he's someone who quickly makes me forget about the bad things, so he's really indispensable."

What kind of dad do you want your kids to see at the World Cup?
"I think the oldest child understands, but I don't think the middle child knows that the uniforms are different colors. But I think he can tell if we're winning or losing, so I want to convey my gratitude with an easy-to-understand result."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]

The press conference can be viewed on the official YouTube channel.