"In the 2026 North American World Cup, the brothers Sano Kaishu and Sano Hangda, who are three years apart, will be Japanese internationals at the same time and represent the country in the World Cup. "It's the big dream that the Sano brothers, who were born in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, have dreamed of playing football since they were young, and it seems that the day when their childhood dream is getting closer and closer to being realized. The elder brother Sano was already a member of the national team in the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, and the younger brother Sano Hangda's outstanding performance in the Eredivisie this season is one of the new stars in Dutch football this season, and it is believed that the journey to realize the dream of the Sano brothers is not far away.
In the 2023/24 season, Japan's U20 international Kodai Sano joined Nijmegen in the Eredivisie in the J2 season, and for this talented player who performed well in J2 but has never had J1 experience, he has attracted the attention of international scouts with his shining performance in the U20 World Cup. Before the winter break in the Eredivisie this season, Sano was still in the adaptation period and did not gain the trust of the coach. And all of that started to change dramatically in the month after the winter break.
From the start of the Dutch Cup on January 18 as a starter to April 6, Nijmegen started 15 consecutive games as Nijmegen's main force, during which Nijmegen won 10 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses, becoming the hottest team in the Eredivisie after the winter break, and also pushed Nijmegen's results to the fifth place in the Eredivisie and stood firm in the ranks of the European competition.
On February 28, in the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup, Nijmegen, who was playing away, fought hard all the way, and at 60 minutes relied on a goal from another Japanese player, Ogawa Koki, to tie the score and enter extra time. In extra time, in the 99th minute of the game, the Nijmegen player cut in from the bottom line and then crossed to the outside of the penalty area, and Sano Kodai did not stop the ball and shot directly into the corner to score. It was Sano's first goal after Europe, but it was a goal that could change the fate of Nijmegen's century-old team. Kodai Sano's goal led Nijmegen to a 2-1 Dutch Cup final against another Eredivisie powerhouse with Japan international Ueda Kiyo Feyenoord.
On March 30, Nijmegen faced PSV Eindhoven, the leader of the Eredivisie who had not tasted defeat in the Eredivisie this season, and relied on Sano Hangda's key advance goal to defeat Eindhoven 3-1, allowing Eindhoven, who won 25 and drew 3 in the Eredivisie, to swallow the first defeat of the Eredivisie this season.
Sano Hangdai, who was born in Okayama, walked in the same footsteps as his brother on the football road, and attended a prestigious football school in high school. Hang Da, whose strength is higher than that of his peers, has been a member of the team since his first year of high school, with excellent dribbling skills, excellent physical confrontation ability, tireless running ability and super ambition to win, making him a nationally renowned supernova high school student in college.
Before graduating from high school, he had become an internal player of his hometown team, Okayama Green Pheasant, and he didn't start his career from his hometown team, J2. During his year and a half at Okayama, Sano continued to show his talent and ability on the field, and as a highly anticipated member of the Paris Five-Wheel Generation, he was a key member of the Japanese Football Association's key training team, and his continuous selection of young internationals also accelerated his growth, making him one of the representative players of the Parisian Five-Wheel Generation to the world.
After standing firmly in the Eredivisie, Hangdai Sano continues to show the world his ability and charm. Excellent dribbling skills and extraordinary physical confrontation ability, so Sano Hangdai has excellent ability to hold the ball under fierce confrontation, which is very important to cultivate in modern Japanese youth training. This, combined with his extraordinary fighting spirit and ambition, was a big factor in the young Sano Hangdai's ability to adapt quickly to the fast-paced Eredivisie and make a name for himself. In addition, his excellent passing ability, running ability and mental quality, it can be said that he is a player who combines the advantages of modern Japanese youth training to focus on development, and I believe that he will become the next Japanese player based in Europe and continue to climb upward.
Japan, who are currently preparing to compete in the Under-23 Asian Cup and qualify for the Paris Olympics, have not called up a key member of the team, as Sano will play in the final of the Dutch Cup, the most important match of his career so far, on April 21. He also has the task of maintaining results and helping the team secure a prized European place. I believe that as the absolute main force of the team, Hirodai Sano, will still gain a lot of valuable experience and opportunities to shine before the end of the season in May, which will help him continue to grow and stand firm in Europe.