"Is participating in the World Cup five times better than winning the title?" Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo responds to provocation from his 'close friend' Materazzi: "I want just one championship"

*This content was translated by AI.

Yuto Nagatomo (40, FC Tokyo), who has built a golden monument as the first Asian player to participate in the World Cup five consecutive times, stated that winning the World Cup is more important than his own record.

On the 26th (Korea time), Nagatomo was substituted in during the 30th minute of the second half in the final Group F match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup group stage against Sweden, held at the Dallas Stadium in the United States.

Having missed the first match against the Netherlands and the second match against Tunisia, Nagatomo stepped onto the field that day, completing the historic achievement of participating in five consecutive World Cups as the first Asian player. He also added to his records: tied for second all-time among Japanese players with 145 international matches, and first all-time among Japanese players with 15 World Cup appearances.

However, Nagatomo himself does not seem to dwell on these historic records. On the 27th, the Japanese media outlet 'Sponichi Annex' reported, "For Nagatomo, participating in five consecutive tournaments is merely a checkpoint; he is aiming only for the summit."

According to the media, immediately after the final roster announcement, Nagatomo said, "Records will be broken again by the younger generation," and reminded himself, "What you leave behind on the World Cup stage is far more important."

Nagatomo hopes more for Japan's World Cup victory than for his personal records. Marco Materazzi (Italy), a 2006 World Cup champion who played together with Nagatomo at Inter Milan in the Italian Serie A, congratulated Nagatomo on his selection to the national team and asked, "Yuto, which is better: one championship or five participations?" Nagatomo bit his lip and replied, "I also prefer winning just once."

Meanwhile, Japan advanced through the group stage with one win and two draws (5 points), finishing second in the group. On the 30th at 2 a.m., they will face the powerhouse Brazil in the Round of 32. The media stated, "Nagatomo has no time to be intoxicated by the joy of achieving his historic record," and added, "Regardless of facing Brazil, he has firmly vowed to move forward toward the summit with the world's best unity."

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*This content was translated by AI.