Moriho's savior Junya Ito, his biological father and mentor talk about the beginning of their careers

In the Asian Quarterfinals of the Qatar World Cup, the Japanese men's football team performed well and won two consecutive victories. In both matches, Junya Ito (28 years old) performed well at the MVP level. He made his first penalty against China and scored with a header in the second half. He also scored 1 goal and 1 assist against Saudi Arabia and was very good.

However, Junya Ito's national team career has not been smooth, and the stable playing time in the national team is still after the World Cup in Russia. This article will talk about the starting point of Junya Ito's entry into the world stage from the perspective of Junya Ito's biological father and mentor.

Jun Ito also started playing soccer in the first grade of elementary school, when he joined the local Kamoju SC Club in Kanagawa, and speaking of this, Junya Ito's father could not help but sigh: "He was invited to join the club by his brother who lived nearby, and after he came into contact with football, he immediately became fascinated.

He is a child who does not go to school as soon as he has a cold, but still goes to football training. He likes to carry the ball, runs back and forth with the ball in the game, does not know where the opponent's goal is, and rushes to his own team with the ball. He prefers to dribble the ball over points. Character does not accept defeat. Even one-on-one practice persisted until victory. ”

Even such a talented teenager who has been exposed to football since childhood failed to try out the J1 team Yokohama Mariners in the first year of junior high school. Therefore, Ito Jun had to join the club of the junior high school, and after rising to high school, his high school football team was not a strong team. However, the obscure Jun Ito was also recommended to enter Kanagawa University, the first division of the Kanto League at that time. Later coach Sekyo Mori Recalled: "In the summer of 2010, he (Ito) had a more egotistical personality, but he performed very well on the field, so I communicated with Coach Yoshizaburo Omori and immediately decided that it was him. ”

Coach Omori also recalled: "Although his Kanagawa High School only stopped in the round of 32, he was invited by a lot of college teams, and he also had the opportunity to choose a college team leisurely, and I think we are also looking for capable children."

At that time, Ito had superior speed and foot strength in the match against Saudi Arabia. Although sometimes there are mistakes because you can't control the speed, once you get hooked, it's completely different.

When Ito first joined, I temporarily left the coaching position and even said to Coach Guan Sen, 'If you can't make him a professional player, it is best to resign as a coach'. ”

Talent gradually blossomed, and Jun Ito also joined the J1 Kofu Wind Forest Team in 2015. After playing for The Helios, he has been a key player in the Belgian Genk team since 2019. After these two games, just as the agent said that "the top 5 leagues in Europe began to pay attention to him", the top clubs began to reach out to him.

"It's not so much a son as it's watching with the same feeling as a fan." Although various activities were reported, he and his wife were surprised and said, 'What the hell is wrong with that child?'" said Ito's biological father.

Synonymous with the dribble that tears the course apart like lightning, he becomes an "irreplaceable player" for Mori.