07/02/2025
Interview with Kotaro Nagata.
Background…�Kotaro Nagata was born on June 17th, 2005 in Kanagawa. He joined Kawasaki Frontale’s youth system before moving from their Under 12 team to Yokohama FC Junior Youth. In May 2022, he was registered with Yokohama FC’s first team as a “second-category player”. On June 8th of that year he made his first team debut as a substitute in the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup against Sony Sendai FC. In August 2023, he signed a professional contract with Yokohama FC and immediately went on loan to UD Oliveirense, Portugal.�
©UD OLIVEIRENSE SAD�
Q. First of all, please tell us why you came to Oliveirense in Portugal from Japan.
� Yokohama FC and Portugal's Oliveirense are connected, and by having young players in Japan play in Europe, they can grow little by little and contribute to the team's victory like me, so I feel really grateful for this system, allowing me to take a challenge overseas.
�Q. When you first joined Oliveirense, I think Kazuyoshi Miura was there. What kind of person is Kazuyoshi Miura to you? Have you ever been influenced by him?
� Kazu-san has been my hero since I was very young, and he's a legend in Japan. He gave me a lot of advice when I was 18 years old. In my first year, there were things that didn't go well. I wasn’t playing many games, and I didn't get the results I hoped for, but Kazu-san's attitude towards training and enjoying playing was a great learning experience for me, and I think I'm making good use of what I've learned from him now, in my second year at the club.
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Q. The Portuguese second division is very physical and difficult. What was the hardest part about adapting to it? And how did you feel after scoring your first goal?
� At first, I was most surprised by the physical strength of the players around me. There were African players, in particular, who would be able to take the ball from me in places where I normally wouldn’t expect to be challenged, and it was difficult to move forward while holding the ball. However, I gradually got used to it, and I feel that the quality of my play has changed by gradually improving the position of that first control, and paying close attention to each of my plays in every training session. I feel that this has been more noticeable this year, but I still need to become faster, and stronger physically. My goal now is to play in the Portuguese first division, so I want to be more strict with myself in my daily training and push myself to the limit in terms of speed and physique, while becoming a smarter and better player. I'm small in stature, so I can not be lacking in anything else, so I want to do my best to win in all aspects… except height.
Q. You are a young player with a bright future… do you feel any pressure? Also, do you feel motivated by the fact that other Japanese players have done well in Portugal?
�I don't feel any pressure. I think there are things that only I can do, and I want to be someone who can give hope to people who are worried about being small, regardless of soccer. It gives me hope to see other Japanese players like Shoya Nakajima and Kanya Fujimoto who are short but have the skills and play like me, as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, playing here. Nakajima, in particular has been a role model, and I have been conscious of his playing style since I was little, so it would be great if I could step up and play like him, but first I want to play well at Oliveirense and do my best to surpass them, not just look up to them.
�Q: What are your future goals?
� My biggest goal is to play in the UEFA Champions League and do well, but in order to do that I need to go to the first division of Portugal, so I want to do what I need to do at Oliveirense to make this happen. Also, there is the U-20 World Cup next year, so I want to play on the World Cup stage, and I'm really motivated to try to make that happen. I want to do what I can now to achieve that goal and play well and score goals at Oliveirense. I want �to show my gratitude to Oliveirens, and I want to become a player who is more liked by Oliveirense's fans and supporters, which I think will help me grow as a player, so I want to do my best.
