Finally, on April 29 (Friday, holiday), Tokyo will compete in the first J-League match at the Japan National Stadium.
Before the renovation of the National Stadium, many official matches were held since the first year of joining the J-League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since the long-awaited title was won, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
Before taking a new step at National, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at National along with photos from that time.
2007 Hiradona's Five-Man Dribble
【Match Information】
2007 J.League Division 1 Sec. 25
FC Tokyo 2-0 Yokohama FC
Thanks to the development of digital media, searching for "Sota HIRAYAMA 5 people taken out" allows the excitement of that day to easily come back to life at your fingertips.
For the "National Kan," even just five minutes was enough time. Hirayama stood on the familiar pitch at the 40th minute of the second half, with a score of 1-0. Right after that, he received the ball near the center line and checked Yokohama FC's defensive line. "I felt the opponent's line was high, and I could go for it," he said, as the monster striker's advance began.
One by one, he knocked down the opposing players, and in the end, he evaded the goalkeeper and slotted the shot in. Until the end of the match, the chant celebrating the player with the number 13 echoed throughout the National Stadium, and the goal celebration imitating Nicolas Anelka, who was the ace striker for the French national team at the time, became a nostalgic memory.
He was the man who suited the National pitch more than anyone else. He recorded a total of 24 goals at Kokumin High School and continued to score memorable goals at FC Tokyo. Without a doubt, this five-man dribble will be counted as one of them.
Hirayama was crowned the top scorer in the National High School Soccer Championship for two consecutive years, and his total of 17 goals still stands as a tournament record. He swept all titles at the high school level and earned the name of a monster.
After that, he advanced to Tsukuba University and moved to Heracles Almelo in the Dutch first division at the age of 20. He made an impressive debut by scoring 8 goals in his first year, leading many to believe that the future of Japanese football was on a promising path. 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 the energy to push through had run dry. He has articulated this time in his life with these words.
"My goals stopped until I went abroad. That is my responsibility. I was naive as a professional."
Hirayama has repeatedly stated in many interviews, "Even then, and now, I do not think of myself as a monster." While I think that is typical of him, I want to deny it. His extraordinary play and unexpected behavior were undoubtedly monstrous. I have never seen a Japanese player as strong and flexible as Sota.
I confess that during my university days, I watched the Final Round of the National High School Soccer Championship for two consecutive years just for him. That was the last match I paid to see in the country. The goal-scoring player with a shaved head was a special presence that excited not only me but many soccer fans.
The video streaming from my device tells me that. I must confess one more thing: when I reread the manuscript from that time and described him as "Hiradona," I could only sigh at my lack of word sense. With a sense of self-reflection, that is also one of the things I learned from him.
For me, Sota HIRAYAMA's five-man breakaway unleashed on the National pitch still remains one of my favorite goals chosen from FC Tokyo's archives, and it will never fade.
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
