Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Milan: The recently crowned AFC Asian International Player of the Year 2013 Yuto Nagatomo has thanked his teammates and fans for helping him to win the coveted award.
A series of stellar showings in Serie A as well as his eye-catching performances for Japan at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers earned the talented 27-year-old the prestigious accolade ahead of Samurai Blue team-mate and CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda and Korea Republic international Son Heung-min, who plies his trade in the German Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking at Inter Channel (the official TV of Inter Milan), the swashbuckling winger said: “I am pleased and honoured to have received this ward, but it is not down to me alone, in fact I have to thank my colleagues who allowed me to express myself better at the pitch and the fans who supported me.
“Similarly, many thanks go to the Japanese national team because for me representing Japan is a matter of pride and prestige.
“There are still lots of room for improvement and for that definitely I have to continue working hard,” the Inter Milan mainstay added.
Photo:AFP