At the FIFA World Cup Qatar, Japan won a come-from-behind victory over powerhouse Spain to advance to the knockout stages for the second straight tournament.
Substitute DOAN Ritsu's equalizer goal broke the losing streak in the second half.
"We haven't rewritten history yet, but I think we've repainted a big wall," he said, demonstrating the strength of the game at the top and creating a "life-changing" goal.
Ritsu Doan is a midfielder who is mainly responsible for attacking on the right side.
With his strong left foot dribbling and shooting, he wore the uniform number "10" at the Tokyo Olympics and played an active role as the center of attack.
However, after that, Ito Junya, who holds the same position in the Japan national team, rose to prominence, and in March he was left out of the squad.
"I know I'm not in a position to say, 'I'm a starting member.' I have a position, so I'm confident that I can win this time."
From this season, he is playing for Freiburg in the German first division league.
After joining the team, he immediately became a regular player and scored a goal in the opening game, and suddenly achieved results.
In September, when I was walking with Doan in the streets of Freiburg for an interview, the children asked me to take a commemorative photo and sign his autograph.
It's been a little over a month since the opening, but you can see that the local fans have already praised it and are gaining popularity.
Doan is even stronger with the feeling that he is leading the team that is in second place in the German first division league, which is full of powerhouses.
He says he now feels calmer about his position in the national team.
"I think that I'm not rushed in such a situation, I think it's changed to overwhelming confidence in myself
. "
He believes that World Cup goals change lives.
What made that feeling stronger was playing with Mario Götze at PSV in the first division of the Netherlands, where I belonged before.
He is also a member of the German national team this time, and scored the winning goal in the final of the 2014 Brazil tournament.
“When I look at him, I think that one point changed his life. People say that he couldn’t even walk on the streets in Germany. There are fans who say, 'I want to play with him' or 'I want to see him.' I think a Japanese player who scored a goal in the World Cup will be an important person, so I will be that kind of player."
In the first match against Germany, he scored a tie-breaking goal despite being a substitute.
He expressed his strong feelings, saying, "I entered the pitch with a strong feeling that I will make the decisions and that I am the only one. Now I want to fight together with a strong feeling, without being overwhelmed with joy and sorrow."
However, in the second match against Costa Rica, he was unable to score even though he had a chance to play in the starting line-up, and the team lost.
Suppressing his embarrassment, he approached the third match against Spain with enthusiasm, saying, “The only way to make everyone think that I am a true ace is the result.”
And a goal in an important place while participating in the middle of the day.
Demonstrating the strength of the game here, he created a goal that will change his life.
"That's my course"
Ritsu Doan, who scored the equalizing goal, looked back, saying, “I was determined to shoot there because it was my course.
After that, "I haven't rewritten history yet, but I think I've repainted a big wall. With this victory, I think the public will think that the first game was not a miracle, but an inevitability. I want to overcome the wall of the best 16." He was talking about his enthusiasm for the final tournament, which aims to advance to the top 8.