2025 CAMP INTERVIEW<br />
木村誠二×バングーナガンデ佳史扶 対談<br />
盟友との再会 (前編)

INTERVIEW2025.1.27

2025 CAMP INTERVIEW
Seiji KIMURA x Kashif BANGNAGANDE Interview
Reunion with a Comrade (Part 1)

Seiji KIMURA and Kashif BANGNAGANDE. The two long-time "comrades" from U-15 Fukagawa will once again wear the same uniform in Tokyo this season. After being promoted to the top team, Kimura has grown through multiple loan transfers and became a key player for the U-23 Japan national team in the Paris Olympics generation last season, gaining experience in the world and returning to the blue and red. On the other hand, Kashif BANGNAGANDE has honed his skills in Tokyo and made his debut for the A national team in March 2023. Although he was unable to participate in the main tournament due to injury, he has evolved into a unique presence on the pitch. The two who have walked different paths will meet again in the 2025 season, having evolved in their own ways. What will the two players think about this reunion? In the first part, they talked about their memories during the time they were apart and the performance expected of academy-trained players.



──Last season, we had various experiences in different places. What kind of season was it?
Seiji KIMURA I had both happy and frustrating experiences. While I won the AFC U-23 Asian Cup and qualified for the Paris Olympics, I ended up with a disappointing result at my loan club Sagan Tosu. I don't think it's common to have such extreme experiences in the same season. I think my mental state was easily affected, but I was able to continue playing throughout the season and it was a great experience to have the support of many people.
Kashif BANGNAGANDE I had a frustrating season. I think the first half of the season went very well. I was able to play in the league matches at the best pace ever, and I think I had the most goals and assists in terms of appearances. However, I got injured at this point and unfortunately, the injury did not heal completely and it was frustrating.

──Do you feel the changes in each other after a long time of reunion?
Kimura I haven't played together since returning to Tokyo, so there are many things I don't know, but I think it hasn't changed much in private.
Yoshifumi It doesn't feel like we've met in a while, does it?
Kimura I haven't seen you in almost a year...
Yoshifumi Yeah, that's right. We haven't met much. We only occasionally kept in touch.
Kimura We didn't communicate frequently, but when I came back, it felt like we were always together, so I don't really feel like anything has changed.

──During this past year, there must have been some changes in myself while being apart. What kind of appearance do you want to show each other?
Kimura I think that the positioning, passing choices, and carrying methods of build-up have improved a lot last season, and I think I can show plays that make you think "I've gotten better". What surprised me was that Yasu-kun (Yasuki Kimoto) said the same thing. He asked me, "I feel like your build-up has improved a lot in Tosu and the national team, where did you learn it from?" And I realized, "I've gotten better". I was really happy and it was a point where I could gain confidence. If I can play together again after returning, I will definitely line up next to him if I play as a left center back. I want to make it easier for him than before.
Yoshifu Please, thank you (laughs). I feel like I have grown in terms of my play, and I am able to feel calm and composed during games, which I think I have really acquired. I also feel like my range of play has expanded a bit, but I haven't been able to play soccer for about 7 months, so I don't know what will happen when I come back. However, personally, I think I have grown, so I am looking forward to that.


──I am humble, but the play just before the injury was truly amazing to watch, and it greatly increased my contribution on defense in the midst of a strong attacking image. Next time, can't I support Kimura on defense as well?
Yoshifumi Yes, but whether I can be helped on defense... (laughs).
Kimura If I don't have to cover anymore, it would be a relief (laughs). But it was really good. I was always curious about Tokyo's games, so I watched them from time to time.

──This season, nearly half of the top team is made up of players from Tokyo's academy. This is an unprecedented number in the past. Among them, how do you want to lead this team as two players in the middle generation?
Yoshifumi The top one is Kento-kun (Kento HASHIMOTO), and the one below is Go-kun (Go HATANO)......
Kimura From there, Tsubasa "Tsuba-kun" TERAYAMA is there with us... Everyone is good, right? The only thing left is how much we can avoid slacking off on the pitch, and not slack off ourselves. Everyone has such high abilities, so we should be able to get promoted and stay on the current team. As for taking care of the academy graduates... I don't think we're at a level where we can take care of them yet.
Yoshifumi What we need to do is to show our attitude. If we can play in the game and become the center, I believe it will naturally lead the team forward.
Kimura It's definitely easier to convey than words. It's great to see my academy seniors and juniors working hard. In order to make them think "I'll do my best too!", playing and performing well in games is the most important thing.


──I am a little surprised to see not only Taiyo YAMAGUCHI and Wataru GOTO, who were promoted this season, but also academy players who are participating in the camp playing freely and growing. How do you look back on your first year as a pro and when you were participating in the training?
Kimura was already freaking out (lol). In the first year and as a trainee.
CACA So, I think it's amazing to see them playing freely. I also regret a little bit that I was afraid of things. That's why I've been telling the academy players to "just go for it" when they participate in practice. I was conscious of that, so I think it's a good thing that we can create an environment where they can play freely without worrying. However, we must never erase the strictness of the top team that we saw during our academy days. We want to give them encouragement to not be afraid and to push through while showing them "this is the top team". I think it's easier for us, who are also academy graduates, to communicate with them, so I want to continue talking to them as much as possible in the future.

──What kind of coach is Rikizo MATSUHASHI?
Yoshifu I haven't had a long time to talk yet, but when I listened to the meeting, my first impression was that he was a very honest person. It's hard to express, but he's a serious person who doesn't have a hidden agenda and talks to people sincerely by deeply considering things.
Kimura Mr. Rikizo himself has something he wants to convey, and it's very easy to understand. He conveys it very carefully. In the past few seasons, we have had foreign coaches, but I think communication is a strength of Japanese coaches, and I think Mr. Rikizo's ability to convey adds to that. Personally, I wondered why he used such polite language. Even the meetings were in polite language, right?
Yoshifumi I may not have been aware of it that much.
Kimura is speaking to the player in honorific language. So I don't feel any pressure. I think it's also a factor that allows me to play freely. I don't know if he's doing it intentionally, but he's really polite. The coach also said he was "scared" of the new challenge, so I thought he was an honest person. He comes down to us, looks us in the eye, and says he doesn't mind what we say. He's easy to talk to, and I think he's an easy coach to talk to if something happens. I think it's because of his personality that he doesn't make people shrink and the atmosphere during practice doesn't get worse.


To be continued



Text by Kyohei Baba (Freelance Writer)