Japan Under-23 national team member Louis Yamaguchi insists he and his talented teammates will become a game-changing generation for Asian football. The Paris-born, Tokyo-raised goalkeeper – who is breaking into Spanish second division outfit Extremadura UD’s senior team in his third year – regularly trains with the likes of Real Madrid’s Takefusa Kubo, PSV Eindhoven’s Ritsu Doan and Manchester City’s Ko Itakura. “I’m very proud to be part of this team and I’m very eager to do big things with them,” said the 22-year-old Yamaguchi, who left Japan aged 16 for a youth contract with France’s FC Lorient before heading to Spain. “Yes, of course [I feel a responsibility to show that Asians can also play football]. I am absolutely convinced, have the utmost confidence, and have no doubt that this team can beat any team from any country – I’d say within two years for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, if not before.” Having spent half of his teens abroad, Yamaguchi was introduced to the Japan national youth set-up at Under-17s level. He said the squad is in contact to this day, with the Japan Football Association (JFA) beaming information and updates to its roving players via WhatsApp. “We have to show that we are here and represent Asia – Japan as well, of course – and do it all. In Asia, there’s also South Korea, Iran and Uzbekistan. As for the others, I don’t see them competing with bigger teams in Europe or the Americas,” Yamaguchi said, adding that the feeling is more of excitement than pressure. View this post on Instagram Proud to have played under the national colours again 日の丸を胸にプレーできることは誇りです #daihyo #japan #football #thebeautifulgame #japannationalteam #puma #日本代表 A post shared by Louis Yamaguchi 山口瑠伊 (@yamaguchi_louis) on Apr 9, 2018 at 7:58am PDT “Maybe you can ask Kubo that question!” he quipped of his former FC Tokyo youth teammate, who joined Barcelona then Real Madrid, and has since been deemed “The Japanese Messi” by the football world. Yamaguchi has been making waves since securing his dream move to western Spain – be they slightly less resonant. After three years in Extremadura, he is now competing for the team’s number two spot. He has played one senior match and is vying for more. “I had always wanted to play in Spain ever since I was a kid in Japan. I saw an opportunity and didn’t think about anything else. I went crazy thinking about playing there – very eager to do a lot of things,” he said. “I was just a mixed kid who came to learn. It was difficult in the sense that I wanted to play all the time, then in the second year I played much better. The third year, I graduated into the senior team.” Now with a minimum three years’ experience in three footballing nations, Yamaguchi identified several differences in the way the game is played across continents. “The truth is I learned a lot in France and it changed the way I played a bit,” he said. “The way the game is perceived in Japan is a bit different. Not in terms of technique, but more the reading of the game – a lot more tactics. “The biggest difference [in goalkeeping] is the level of playing with the feet and organising the defensive line. It’s more complicated in the Segunda B . You have to play short and long passes and the coaches tell us to play a certain way. In Japan, you are taught from a young age to play the short pass in all scenarios.” There are also cultural differences off the pitch. “The biggest thing I’ve realised is that in Spain and France the people will say no clearly. In Japan, they do it indirectly and in a way that’s very polite. Another thing is in Spain they eat their lunch at around 3, whereas in France or Japan you would eat at 12. Dinner can be really late, 10-ish. That’s normal here.” Conversely, being French-Japanese in Japan comes with its own amusing moments. “I had a Japanese-looking face when I was small, but now people say I’m crazy when I tell them I’m Japanese. They just can’t understand it. My last few years, there were times people did not think I was Japanese. It was very funny when I spoke – ‘what! You speak Japanese?’ While he cited minor difficulties early on in integrating – largely due to missing his family and friends (and gyudon beef bowls) – Yamaguchi is never alone. View this post on Instagram We will win next one Great to have met you @shinjiokazaki_official A post shared by Louis Yamaguchi 山口瑠伊 (@yamaguchi_louis) on Sep 24, 2019 at 8:22am PDT There is a handful of legendary Japanese players sprinkled in the same division, such as former Borussia Dortmund wizard Shinji Kagawa (Real Zaragoza), Premier League winner Shinji Okazaki (Huesca) and Japan national team captain Gaku Shibasaki (Deportivo la Coruna). “Sometimes we keep in contact, but everyone is busy. We speak when we play together, for example when we played against Zaragoza, I met up with Shinji Kagawa. He’s part of a different generation but we are friends. We Japanese footballers have a close community in Spain,” Yamaguchi said, adding that the work is not over for his own Extremadura as they fight to stay in the division with six games left. It is precisely this handing of the Japanese football torch from old generation to young that Yamaguchi hopes will reignite the literal torch for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as fans nervously count down to another year. He had made it on the provisional 18-man squad and said he is more than prepared to bring glory to his home. “It’s an objective I’ve had for many years. It is very important for me to make it on the list, so I hope we are lucky enough to win something for our country,” he said. “I would become very emotional if we became champions. But that is just one objective – there are many more.”