Fullback legend Son Heung-min, who was taken for a walk by Park Ji-sung, will play an A match in 950 days → 3rd place for the highest age...Jeong Jo-joon of Korea and Japan on the 15th

Jul 13, 2025

Fullback legend Son Heung-min, who was taken for a walk by Park Ji-sung, will play an A match in 950 days → 3rd place for the highest age...Jeong Jo-joon of Korea and Japan on the 15th
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Japanese fullback legend Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), who is the same age as Bayern Munich coach Bang-sang Kongpani, Bayern Munich coach 'Real Madrid legend', Sergio Ramos (Monterrey), 'Yong sister'Lee Yong (Suwon FC), and others born in 1986, drew attention by playing an A match for the first time in two years and seven months.

Nagatomo started as a three-back's left center back in the second game of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) against China at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the 12th and played full time for 90 minutes.

Nagatomo, who played for Italy's prestigious Inter Milan in the past, played in the Japanese national team uniform for the first time in 950 days since the match against Croatia at the Qatar World Cup on December 5, 2022.




Nagatomo, who made his national team debut in 2008 and played his 143rd A-match at the age of 38 years and 303 days, surpassed Ramos Louis (38 years and 181 days) to become the third oldest player in the Japanese national team. First place is Kawamoto Taizo (40 years and 106 days), and second place is Kawashima Eiji (39 years and 82 days). Nagatomo, who has the second-most appearances in Japan's history, trailed Yasuhito Endo (152 games) by nine games.

Fullback legend Son Heung-min, who was taken for a walk by Park Ji-sung, will play an A match in 950 days → 3rd place for the highest age...Jeong Jo-joon of Korea and Japan on the 15th
The semifinals of the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup between the A national team and Japan were held at Al-Garapa Stadium in Qatar on the afternoon of the 25th (Korea time). Son Heung-min is competing with Japan's Nagatomo for the ball.

Doha (Qatar) = Reporter Kim Kyung-min kyungmin@sportschosun.com
Nagatomo said before the game "I'm really nervous. Yesterday, I had difficulty falling asleep because of too much adrenaline. That's how much I focused on the game. I thought if I didn't do well today, everything would be over. I'd be happy if I could show my skills."

After the game "I still have a lot to show. People are asking 'Can Nagatomo play in the three-back position?`I would think, but I think I've gone a step further in being recognized as a player.'




Two years and seven months is quite a long time. He was also selected for the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, but his opportunity to play was not lost to his juniors. Nagatomo "It was really hard. But I have overcome adversity and hardship many times before. 'Nagatomo might have thought it was over now', but I trusted myself and kept going. There is still a long way to go, but I will continue to try to show myself that can surprise everyone."

Japanese national team coach Hajime Moriyasu called Nagatomo to play during the World Cup qualifiers. He was selected under the premise that he would lead the team by playing in the East Asian Cup"In the match against China, he proved his ability by playing center back and gaining the upper hand in air and ground battles. He always communicated with the players around him and made sure there was no gap" he raised his thumb.

Fullback legend Son Heung-min, who was taken for a walk by Park Ji-sung, will play an A match in 950 days → 3rd place for the highest age...Jeong Jo-joon of Korea and Japan on the 15th
The match between Japan and Costa Rica was held at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Alaiyan, Qatar, on the afternoon of the 27th. Nagatomo asking fans to cheer for him. Alaiyan (Qatar) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2022.11.27/
Japan, which won 6-1 against Hong Kong in the first round, won 2-0 thanks to consecutive goals by Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol) in the first half and Hiroki (Machida Gelbia) in the second half. Henry, who was born in 2001, is 15 years apart from Nagatomo.




Japan, which had seven goals by winning all two games, has surpassed Korea (2 wins, 5 goals by winning) to become the lead in the men's division. If he does not lose in the third match against South Korea on the 15th, he will achieve his second consecutive championship and third career championship. For Hong Myung-bo, it is a match between Korea and Japan that must be won to win the championship.

Nagatomo participated in the East Asian Cup Korea-Japan match held in Tokyo in 2010, the first year of his national university. South Korean players who played on the ground in South Korea's 3-1 victory at the time include Lee Dong-guk, Jungwoo Kim, Kim Bo-kyung, Park Joo-ho, Koo Ja-cheol, Oh Beom-seok and Lee Woon-jae. In the same year, Nagatomo also played in the A-match friendly match, which is famous for Park Ji-sung's walking ceremony, and suffered a bitter 0-2 defeat. In the 2011 Asian Cup semifinals, which announced Son Heung-min's appearance, he faced Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min, and caused pain to South Korea with a penalty shootout victory after a 2-2 draw.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.