At the start of 2020, Brazilian soccer club Botafogo F.R. announced a signing that most people were not expecting. Keisuke Honda, the famous Japanese player, arrived in Rio de Janeiro with the status of a major international signing. Honda, 33, has already played for many top clubs, including Milan of Italy and CSKA of Russia. He has also taken part in three World Cups, having already played around 100 games for the Japanese national team.
His arrival in Brazil had a lot of repercussions in the specialized press, among the fans and especially on the internet, even generating several memes. The curious thing is that the club presented the player in a video in the style of Gameboy Pokemon. This repercussion guaranteed Botafogo the biggest digital growth since May 2018. The club has already added more than 34,500 new registrations. So let's find out a little more about this player's history and career.
Table of Content
Keisuke Honda - From anonymity to stardom
As most people know, football is not the most popular sport among Japanese people. But from an early age, Keisuke Honda was fascinated by soccer. So much so that, at just 8 years old, he had already passed the test to play for FC Settsu, a local team. Some time later, he left the club and started playing for the Ishikawa school team. There he played a key role in taking the town's team to the semi-finals of the All Japan High School Football Tournament for the first time.
The young Honda began to make a name for himself from then on, being recognized as the top player by the J. League and the Japan Football Association in 2004. It was then that he began to be compared to a character called Seisuke Kanou from the soccer anime Hungry Heart - Wild Striker (by the same author as Captain Tsubasa - Super Champions).
After finishing school, Honda ended up playing for a team in Limburg, Holland, called VVV Venlo. Due to his excellent performances for this club, many European teams became interested in his soccer. Such teams as the great English teams Liverpool FC and Everton and AFC Ajax from Holland.
From Japan to the world
At the end of 2009, Honda was transferred to CSKA Moscow, a big Russian league team. He signed a four-year contract worth around 6 million euros. One of his great performances went down in the club's history. The match was in the Champions League, against Sevilla, a big Spanish team and favorites to win.
The match remained tied until Honda scored a decisive free-kick to give his team victory. That day, the sports press praised Honda for his victory, making headlines around the world. Honda was the first Japanese player to reach the quarter-finals of this competition.
Maintaining a high level for years in the Russian team and receiving a lot of praise from great coaches, in 2013 Honda left CSKA and signed for the mighty Milan in Italy. The Japanese star arrived at the club with great status, wearing the number 10 shirt.
When his contract expired in 2017, Honda signed for Mexican side Pachuca. Even though he was 30 at the time, his performance and talent lived on. With his excellent performances, scoring 13 goals in 36 games, he helped the team reach the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. In 2018, Honda was signed by Melbourne Victory in Australia. And in January 2020, he signed a one-year contract with the Brazilian club Botafogo.
In the Japanese national team and off the field
From the Japanese national team, Honda is the top scorer in the World Cup, being the all-time top scorer for the national team and the ninth player with the most appearances for Japan. He gained fame and prominence thanks to his free-kick goals, including his achievement at the Olympics for the Japanese U-23 team. He has always been praised by critics for his performance and discipline in these competitions.
Even though he never won any major competitions with Japan, Keisuke Honda went down in national history as one of Japan's greatest and best players.
Off the pitch Honda is active in a number of areas. He owns many soccer schools around the world and is the owner of two soccer teams, the Soltilo Angkor FC of Cambodia and the Brigth Stars FC of Uganda. In addition, Honda coached the Cambodian national team on a voluntary basis. He even became a cultural ambassador for Cambodia. He also has stakes in an investment fund in partnership with the famous actor Will Smith.
