In April 2024, a 40 year old Japanese veteran Makoto Hasebe Announced that he would hang up his boots at the end of this season and join the Frankfurt coaching team.
"After 22 years as a professional player, I think it is time to end. I have carefully considered this decision and think that now is the best time. I am very proud of my experience and achievements."
At this point, the answer finally came to the speculation about when he would choose to retire.
In fact, as early as February 2022, after completing the contract renewal with Frankfurt, Hasegawa said: "99% of me will choose to retire at the end of next season."
One year later, Hasegawa held a press conference in Japan as scheduled. In the press conference hall, the inside three floors and the outside three floors were surrounded by reporters with long guns and short guns, ready to record the retirement declaration of the first person to appear in the Bundesliga Asia.
Hasegawa, who was dressed in a suit and dressed in shoes, smiled and gave all the reporters a "surprise": "I want to extend the player contract. In the past year, I will have new problems on the scene, which proves that I still have room for progress."
Those who are familiar with Hasegawa may not be surprised by such a decision, because a person who is full of faith and challenges in life always likes the uncertain 1% rather than the established 99%.
On January 18, 1984, a Japanese boy was born. As the eldest son, his family named him "Cheng". Although this name was common during the reign of Showa, his grandfather Matsuntaro decided on this name long before his grandson was born, hoping that he could be honest with others and himself.
Born in Fujichi City, Shizuoka County, Hasegawa Bucheng, like other children of the same age, has received Football The influence of the junior general. At the age of 2, he began to receive football training.
In primary school, Hasegawa quickly showed leadership beyond his peers. According to the coach at that time, "He was born a captain, and other children like to follow him." When he came to junior high school, Hasegawa naturally put on the captain armband, and won the third place in the county contest.
Such excellent football performance has not changed the concept of the family. From primary school, my mother was reluctant to let Hasegawa participate in the football club. In junior high school, both parents unanimously suggested that his son should apply for the high school attached to a private university, which would greatly increase his future enrollment. The head teacher also recognized the parents' choice.
But the school my son yearns for is Fuji Zhidong High School, which is the most famous football school in the region. For Hasegawa, whose academic performance was not very good, it was not easy to get into this strong football school, but he still vowed: "Please believe that I can definitely get into the exam." After studying night after night, Hasegawa appeared in the freshmen list of Fuji East High School.
After entering high school, Hasegawa met the second distinguished person on the football road - Yasuo Hattori. In the initial impression of the coach's uniform department, Makoto Hasegawa was a player hard to describe at that time. On the one hand, he is not the best player in the team and can make people marvel at him. His technology, body and speed are not the best. But as long as he is present, he is often the player who makes the least mistakes and is the most reliable.
In Shizuoka County, where there are many talents, Hasegawa Bucheng realized this. When the coach inquired about the dream of the team members, Hasegawa's speech was different: "I can't do this when watching others resolutely shout out that they want to become a professional player. At least there are dozens of more excellent people in front of me. I think there are only a few who can consider their hobbies as a profession. Many people work and fall in love with this profession. I belong to the latter."
So there was no goal of professional players in Hasegawa's life list, let alone the concept of the World Cup and the five major leagues. He just wants to let nature take its course, take one step at a time, and go all out to do the best in each step. Then he will go to a good university, enter a public institution after graduation, and live a life of nine to six without overtime or internal friction. In my spare time, it is enough to get together with my old friends in the name of ball.
Under the leadership of Hattori Kangxiong, Hasegawa Bucheng performed more and more well in the county qualifiers of senior three. Although the team failed to represent Shizuoka County in the national competition, he received Puhe The invitation of Red Diamond.
Once again, life has come to a crossroads. To the left is the visible future, and to the right is the uncertain future. His parents believed that the probability of Hasegawa becoming a professional player was far lower than that of being admitted to a famous university, so they firmly opposed him to play football.
At this time, the person who influenced his life stood out: "A Cheng, a man lives his whole life, only once. If he is a man, he will accept the challenge".
Grandfather Matsuntaro stood on the opposite side of his parents, and the wandering Hasegawa gradually lifted the fog in front of him and saw the lighthouse in the distance.
Before that, he had to convince his parents for the third time. Hasegawa decided to find his former mentor and let junior high school coach Yoshiro Takimoto act as a lobbyist.
As soon as Takimoto came up, he seriously asked, "The strongest person in the county has gone to Qingshui and his heart is beating. Can you do better than him?" Hasegawa said loudly, "I can!"
At the age of 18, Makoto Hasegawa joined the Puhe Red Diamond, which later dominated Asia. If you look at his resume, this joining is not easy.
After determining the way to continue football, Hasegawa did not choose to go to Puhe at the first time. On the basis of comprehensive consideration, he chose his hometown team with a higher probability of playing. But after the trial training, Hasegawa was defeated.
Fortunately, there is a contract in hand. Hasegawa can only sign with Puhe. As he expected, in the strong Asian Red Devils' formation, Makoto Hasegawa, who was less than 20 years old, could only play on the benches of echelon and adult teams. A year later, his number of appearances remained in the embarrassing single digit - one.
The cruelty of the professional league makes this childish Shizuoka teenager anxious. He was silent at the training camp, and the excessive tension made him suffer from frequent stomachaches.
At the end of the season, Hasegawa went home and hurried to the hospital. At this time, Matsuntaro, 69, had not had much time. When Sun Tzu came to the hospital bed, his grandfather just said to A Cheng, "If you have a chance, please take me to Puhe (to watch the ball)."
Hasabe's sincerity is difficult to self - help. Why doesn't he want his grandfather to witness his performance on the spot?
However, competitive sports will not sympathize with the weak, and strength is the best foundation. In order to let Grandpa see himself on the court, Hasegawa is no longer afraid of confrontation like a coward. After returning from winter training, he seeks confrontation again and again in training to change his playing style. Only by reborn can we win opportunities.
The next year, he did it. The number of league appearances changed from 0 to 28 at the end of the season. At the age of 19, he became the main player, getting closer to the door of the national team. Unfortunately, none of these pictures could be seen by Matsuntaro. One month after meeting with my grandson, my grandfather died.
Watching the hearse go away, Hasegawa tried to hold back his tears, leaving only one thought in his heart: "From now on, I must be a person that makes grandpa proud."
In 2004, Puhe changed the coach, and Buchwald, the winner of the 90 year World Cup of Germany, took office. Hasegawa was placed in his most suitable position. That season, as an all-around midfielder, he played 39 games and scored 9 goals, entering the fast lane of his career.
In 2006, he helped Puhe win the first J-League championship, the Mikado Cup championship and the Japanese Super Cup treble in the history of the team. However, as the German World Cup approached, Ziko did not have his name in the squad.
At that moment, he was depressed. Why the main player of the domestic treble won't go to the World Cup, Hasashi could not understand. Fortunately, another Bole in life appeared.
At the meeting with Miura Zhiliang, Hasegawa Bucheng raised his doubts: "Master Miura, should I go abroad?" Miura replied: "I must go as soon as possible."
In 2008, after helping Puhe to win the championship, 24 year old Hasegawa went on an adventure trip to Germany. His first stop was Wolfsburg in northern Germany. It was his agent Thomas Cross who helped him accomplish this wish. This agent was also his teammate in the Bundesliga.
A pioneer of studying abroad, and a pioneer of the Bundesliga, the two people jointly achieved the path of Hisahiro Hasegawa.
At that time, the German Bundesliga and Japanese players were rare. Apart from Yasuhiko Oti in the last century, few Japanese players can leave their mark here. For this player from the other side of the ocean, the outside world has put on colored glasses.
Soon, Makoto Hasabe felt the cruelty of staying abroad. The first one is position. In more than six years in Puhe, his best position is midfield. However, in the Magath In the system, Hasegawa went far from his favorite position and was changed to a winger.
From the back court to the front court, from the right back to the right avantgarde, and even the number of personnel is exhausted, the Japanese is still the guest goalkeeper on the court. Therefore, he also set another record - Hisashi Hasegawa was the first Japanese player to appear in the five major league goalkeeping positions.
Hasegawa accepted the coach's arrangement, and he has his own thoughts on it. In his autobiography, Hisashi Hasegawa once said: "The victory of the team is more important than his own success. Once the team is successful, the whole team can be praised. On the contrary, it is difficult. Sacrifice yourself for the team, which should not be doubted."
In the second year after joining Wolfsburg, with the joining of Italian international Zaccardo, Hasegabu began to accompany the bench. Compared with letting the agent exert pressure or the media create momentum, his mentality is extremely calm. "When sitting on the bench, it is often a good time to accumulate energy. I can observe Magath's instructions and preferences on the court more carefully, and then capture the details that the coach did not express in his words."
Keep a good attitude, calmly analyze the preferences of top coaches, and make new changes in the training ground. This is what Hasabe learned on the bench. Kung Fu pays off, and Hasegawa Bucheng recaptured the first team at the end of the season. In the final round of the championship battle, the Japanese international started to help Wolfsburg beat Bremen 5-1 and beat Bayern by 2 points to win the championship.
In the following four years, he was allowed to change his position, from Magath to Almin Fey to Blackgold. Whenever he is treated coldly, Hasegawa always wins back trust with his own thinking and execution.
In 2013, in order to play in his favorite midfield position, 29 year old Hasegawa chose to leave and join another German Bundesliga team Nuremberg.
Some people are destined to be just passers-by. This sentence appropriately summarizes the marriage between Nuremberg and Hasegawa. In a short period of one year, Hasegawa left a pile of injury records, while Nuremberg dived into the second division. The bitterness of the downgrade announced the cancellation of the three-year contract.
At the age of 30, Hasegawa had two paths ahead of him: returning home or studying abroad.
At the age of 30, for many Asian American players, it is almost a watershed in their career. Many people will choose to escape from the five major leagues under great pressure, such as the senior Kawaguchi Nengho and Hidetoshi Nakata, such as the junior Shinji Kagawa And Keiyou Honda.
In the 13-14 season, Hasegawa made only 14 miserable appearances, the worst season since he was 19 years old. The mediocrity and inaction in the World Cup made him the target of public criticism as the captain. He was old enough to be ridiculed for his honesty. But Hasegawa did not want to return home because he still wanted to prove himself.
After coming to Frankfurt in 2014, Hasegawa opened the second spring of his career. Even at the age of 33, he suffered a serious knee injury and was absent for half a year, which did not stop him from moving forward.
In 2017, he surpassed Yasuhiko Oti and became the top player in the Bundesliga of Japan; In 2018, he helped Frankfurt beat Bayern to win the German Cup final; In 2019, he was selected as the best 11 players of the season by The Kicker for his outstanding performance throughout the season; In 2020, he overtook Che Van Gunn and became the top Asian player in the Bundesliga. In 2022, as captain, he won the European Union championship at the age of 38, and returned to the Champions League after 13 years. In 2023, he became the oldest player in the history of the Frankfurt team and the most foreign player in the history of the team
Whether starting or replacing, whether playing in the back or in the middle, he can always conquer all previous coaches and managers with super competitive state and consistent performance. Behind this is the 8-hour sleep management that has lasted for ten years. It is the figure who arrived at the training ground one hour in advance. It is the training notes written from beginning to end on the notebook. It is the insistence that no matter how busy you are, you should squeeze out time to read and think.
Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, who played against him in the past, had experienced ups and downs in the coach's seat. Now, Kane and Sun Xingqian are competing with him in the same game. Makoto Hasegawa, 38, froze the most horrible duo in the Premier League with almost perfect performance.
"It's not uncommon to still play football at the age of 40. What's rare is that you can still play football at the age of 40 on a stage like the Bundesliga." This is the exclamation of former teammate Tim Wolfsburg, who has experienced 300 Bundesliga games, to Shinzo Hasegawa. In his eyes, Hasegawa's achievements can not be achieved without three words: "determined goals, extraordinary diligence and unimaginable self-discipline."
When Makoto Hasegawa came to Wolfsburg in 2008, he could not learn German pronunciation correctly, and Tiam was still laughing at him. In a few months, Hasegawa will be able to speak German. "This is really amazing." Tiam was surprised.
In April 2024, Makoto Hasegawa, a 40 year old man, announced his decision to retire at the end of the season. On May 18, 52000 fans in Deutsche Bank Park will witness the last dance of "One Uncle in Asia".
There are many players playing in the five major leagues, but few of them can die in the five major leagues.
Fortunately, Hasegawa did it.
"What you like to do can go beyond the time limit."
Football is not his first choice, but Hasashi has used his life to explain the true meaning of doing what he does and loving what he does.
Now waving goodbye, Hasegawa once again turned around and waited for the opening of the second half of life.
