Japanese legend to win the EPL miracle that even Koreans can't help but admit

Aug 01, 2025

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Shinji Okazaki is still enjoying his challenging life.

There is a Japanese player who cannot be unaware of fans who have watched the Premier League (EPL) for a long time in Korea. Born in 1986, Shinji continued to play for Shimizu S-Pulse and succeeded in advancing to Europe by moving to Stuttgart, Germany, in 2011.

His performance at Stuttgart was mediocre, but he rose to prominence in the German Bundesliga after moving to Mainz05 in 2013. Based on his performance at Mainz, he moved to Leicester City in the summer of 2015 and landed in the Premier League (EPL).

In Leicester's debut season, Shinji will help key players like Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez to a miraculous EPL victory. As a second striker, the report card of five goals in 36 league games is actually a book ticket that is not strange even if you get a failing grade. However, there is no one who does not acknowledge Shin's contribution. This is because Shinji focused on creating an environment where Vardy and Mahrez could focus on attack. Shin became the third Asian player to win the EPL.

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Shin Ji, who broke up with Leicester in 2019, retired for the 2023-2024 season after passing through Spain and Belgium. As a member of the Japanese national team, he is also a legendary player with 50 goals in 119 A matches. Shinji, who has not always hesitated to challenge herself, is also trying as a leader after retirement.

Currently, Shinji is developing his dream of becoming a leader while working as a manager for a German sixth-division club. In an interview with Japanese media outlet Sports Hochi on the 1st, Shinji said, "(Now) the standard (of play) has increased, and the players are leading Japanese soccer." After growing up in Japan, going abroad, and getting used to overseas soccer, the process of moving to the next stage was established. The biggest point is that the age is getting younger. That's why leaders and clubs are trying to catch up, saying, `We have to go abroad, too.'"It's the sixth division, but he explained why he started his leadership abroad.

In fact, if I had chosen a more comfortable and good path, I could have started my leadership career in Japan. However, Shinji said, "With this environment in which Japanese players are challenging (overseas), is it a real challenge for me to challenge myself in Japan?I felt ' I decided to stay in Germany because I didn't want to just spend time, but it didn't work out as expected. I spent time feeling that I was in an environment where I could grow up,' he said, adding that he came out of Japan to challenge himself.

Shinji's ultimate goal is to go to the World Cup as a coach or coaching staff for the Japanese national team. As a player, Shin Ji, who played until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and the 2018 World Cup in Russia, seems to still have a thirst for the World Cup.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.