Shinji Kagawa impressed by Besiktas

The Japanese star spoke highly of Besiktas and the club’s supporters since his arrival in January.

Besiktas were on the receiving end of plenty of praise from their Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who sat down for an interview with the club’s official magazine.

The 29-year-old transferred to The Black Eagles on a short-term loan from Borussia Dortmund but is reported to be interested in making the move permanent.

“Besiktas made me a sincere offer and seeing the atmosphere during Besiktas games had an impact in my decision to move to the Turkish club,” he said.

Kagawa enjoyed a dream debut last month when he came on as a late substitute during his team’s Super Lig clash with Antalyaspor.

The attacking midfielder not only scored his first goal for the club just 19 seconds after coming on but he bagged two goals in three minutes.

He said he is aware of the fans’ expectations and hopes to live up to them.

“The club’s passionate fans and the stadium are very impressive. They are warm. I came here with a passion. I will do my best to make everyone happy, to bring the team to a better place. I expect the fans to keep supporting us,” he said.

The experienced midfielder also said he hopes his transfer to Besiktas opens the door for other Japanese football players in the future.

“I hope more Japanese players join Turkish teams and I feel I can be a pioneer for this. People in my country love watching TV and is significant that more people watch Besiktas at home,” he explained.