FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

With age beginning to show Kazuyoshi Miura may struggle to save his reputation as the King of Asian football in Japan’s first-ever World Cup finals.

Ironically, the tag was given him last month by the official magazine of the world’s football governing body FIFA when he was dumped from the national side for the first time since his international debut in 1990. The Verdy Kawasaki star, 31, had not scored in nine international matches in seven months after bombarding Uzbekistan with four goals in a World Cup qualifier. Some local media and supporters were writing off the man who was the region’s outstanding player in 1992 when Japan won the Asian Cup as a prelude to the launch of the professional J-League a year later.

Having played for Brazilian giants Santos and Italy’s Serie-A outfit Genoa, Miura was also the only Asian to have experienced premier football in three continents. With 54 goals from 86 internationals to his credit — 14 in the Cup qualifying round last year—he has come to be known as “King Kazu” to his fans. But his throne has been apparently taken over by Bellmare Hiratsuka playmaker Hidetoshi Nakata, 21, who made his international debut last May.

Miura has been pushed back to the left wing from the firing line in Kawasaki’s recent matches. But he has set up several goals to help the team go top in the J-League. Japan coach Takeshi Okada picked him last week as one of the forwards for his World Cup squad to fight two-time champions Argentina and two other newcomers—dark horses Croatia and Jamaica beefed up by implants from England. “He is the only one with wide experience abroad,” Okada said. “I need him as a player who can devote everything to the team.”

Miura vowed to do what he has has always done for the country, which joins South Korea in hosting the World Cup finals for the first time in Asia in 2002. “I will go all out for the sake of the rising sun flag,” Miura said. “The world may care if Japan score a goal. But nothing much more than that. I want to surprise the world by beating Argentina.”