Shinji Kagawa, who returned to soccer J1's Cerezo Osaka for the first time in 12 and a half years, joined the team's practice from the 7th.
33-year-old Kagawa returned to his old home Cerezo Osaka for the first time in 12 and a half years from the Belgian First Division league Sint-Truiden this month, and joined the team's practice on the ground in Konohana-ku, Osaka from the 7th.
Kagawa showed his presence by warming up his body with running and a warm-up menu focusing on the core, practicing coordination play, and actively calling out to his teammates in mini games.
After about two hours of practice, Kagawa said, “I want to focus on expressing what I have now through play. I want to do it," he said.
On top of that, he said about Kansai, where he was born and raised, "I feel happy to be able to live in a place where my family and people close to me are nearby."
In addition, Cerezo's head coach Akio Kogiku said, ``We will make a decision when the condition reaches 100%,'' regarding the appointment of Kagawa in the opening match at home scheduled for February 18.