The Real Madrid footballer Takefusa kubo leads the call for the Japanese under-23 team for the Tokyo Olympic Games, a team that will also play two friendly matches before the official competition against Honduras and Spain.
Kubo will be one of the offensive references of the team he trains Hajime Moriyasu, next to Ritsu doan (PSV Eindhoven), who like the small midfielder has already debuted with the absolute of the “blue samurai”.
In the call for the Games announced this Tuesday by the Japan Football Association there are seven other footballers who play in Europe, including Yuta nakayama (PEC Zwolle) and Koji miyoshi (Royal Antwerp FC).
The list of young promises of Japanese football is completed by veteran defenders Wataru endo (VfB Stuttgart), Maya Yoshida (UC Sampdoria) and Hiroki sakai (Olympique de Marseille).
The Japanese team will gather on July 5 to start preparing for Tokyo 2020, where it will play surrounded by the local public, who will be able to witness the matches with a maximum entrance of 10,000 people.
The “blue samurai” will also play a friendly on July 12 in Osaka against the Honduran Olympic team, and another on July 17 against Spain in Kobe.
Japan, classified for the Olympic tournament as host country of the Games, is in group A together with Mexico, France and South Africa, and will play its first match of the official competition against the latter team on the 22nd.