Galatasaray’s Yuto Nagatomo spoke to Galatasaray Magazine and gave an interesting interview where he answered a host of questions.
Yuto Nagatomo, only the second Japanese player to ever play for Galatasaray, sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s magazine, Galatasaray Magazine. Read what he had to say below.
Fatih Terim is the biggest legend in Turkish football. How is it working with him?
“Galatasaray is a very big club. One of the reasons I came here was because it is well-known and its history. Another reason was because of Fatih Terim. I knew him before. Because he is a known name in football.To work with him is a big motivation for me. Both, Galatasaray and Fatih Terim played a big role in me coming here. He is a very good coach and very good person. He knows how to get close to a player very well. We often speak in Italian.”
From Italy to Turkey. Is football here what you expected before you arrived?
“I was in Italy for seven years. Before Italy, I didn’t know any other place. Because it was the first overseas experience for me. Of course before I arrived I had a lot of questions in my mind. It wasn’t just about a different football but also a different language, culture, people. I asked myself a lot about these things because I was unsure. But after I came here, everything became clear. I can say that I adapted within one week of arriving here. Not just coach Terim, also my teammates, the technical staff and my professional colleagues helped me. They treated me so well that after one week I felt like I was home.”
You were alongside Sneijder and Mancini at Inter, they also made a mark here. Did you ask for their opinion before coming here?
“I spoke with Mancini, Melo, Sneijder and Alex Telles. Podolski also messaged me. After I spoke with Mancini, Melo and Sneijder, the three of them told me ‘Don’t think twice, it’s a superb team, great city, accept the offer.’, Podolski and Alex Telles also told me Galatasaray is a big club and that I should definitely go.”
Umit Davala scored a header against Japan in the 2002 World Cup. He is your coach now. Do you talk about that match with him?
“The first thing we talked about was his goal against Japan. I watched that match. I remember it very well.”
In the early 2000s, Japan made major stars. There were stars like Inamoto, Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono. Now, besides yourself, there are Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa. Do you think there are bigger stars to come in the future from Japanese football?
“There are more known players now compared to the past. More Japanese players can play in Europe due to the change in foreign player rules.There are no Japanese players in Italy now that I’ve left, but there are some in Germany, Spain and England. I believe we will produce more quality players in the future.”