Finally, on April 29th (Fri, holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the old National Stadium, we have played many official matches since the first year of J-League membership. There have been memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving the long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National Stadium.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back on the footprints and memories that have been left at the previous National Stadium, along with photos from that time.
2007 Hira Dōna's 5-person dribble
[Match Information]
2007 J.League Division 1 Matchday 25
FC Tokyo 2-0 Yokohama FC
By searching for "Sota Hirayama 5-man dribble" on digital media, the excitement of that day easily comes back to life at your fingertips.
"Kaique" was a sufficient time even for just 5 minutes at "Kunitachi Kan". Hirayama stood on the familiar pitch in the 40th minute of the second half, leading 1-0. Immediately after that, he received the ball near the center line and checked the final line of Yokohama FC. "I felt that the opponent's line was high and I could go for it," and the attack of the monster striker begins.
One by one, he knocked down the opposing players and finally dribbled past the goalkeeper to score. Until the end of the game, the chant honoring number 13 echoed throughout the National Stadium, and the goal celebration imitating Nicolas Anelka, who was the ace striker of the French national team at the time, became a nostalgic part of the memories.
He was a man who suited the National Stadium pitch more than anyone else. From his days at Kunimi High School, he scored a total of 24 goals at the National Stadium and continued to score numerous memorable goals for FC Tokyo. Without a doubt, this goal of dribbling past five players will be counted as one of them.
Hirayama shone as the top scorer for two consecutive years in the National High School Soccer Championship, and his total of 17 goals still stands as a tournament record. He swept all titles in the high school age group and earned the name of a monster.
After that, he went on to study at Tsukuba University and at the age of 20, he moved to Heracles Almelo in the Dutch first division. He immediately showed his talent by scoring 8 goals in his first season, and it seemed that the future of Japanese soccer was progressing smoothly. However, the following year, he was suddenly forced to return to Japan. The language barrier and unfamiliar living environment... there were many obstacles to overcome, but he said that his motivation to overcome them had dried up. He clearly expresses his feelings about this time as being uncertain.
"My goals had stopped until I went abroad. That was my responsibility. I was too naive as a professional."
In many interviews, Hirayama has repeatedly said, "I didn't think of myself as a monster then, and I still don't now." I think that's typical of him, but I want to deny that. His extraordinary play and unexpected words and actions that go against the norm were undoubtedly monstrous. I have never seen a Japanese player as strong and flexible as him, except for Sota Hirayama.
Confession, but during my university days, I watched the finals of the National High School Soccer Championship for two consecutive years starting from 2002, specifically to see him. That was the last game I paid to watch domestically. The bald-headed goal scorer was not only special to me, but also to many soccer fans.
The video flowing from the device in my hand tells me that. To confess one more thing, I couldn't help but sigh at my lack of word sense when I read back the manuscript at that time and described it as "Hiradona". With self-reflection, that was also one of the things I learned from him.
The five-man dribble by Sota HIRAYAMA, unleashed on the pitch of the National Stadium, is still one of my favorite goals chosen from the FC Tokyo archives, and it will never fade away.
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
