Kawasaki Frontale’s Louis Thebault-Yamaguchi Ready to Take on Cristiano Ronaldo in AFC Champions League Semi-Final
In a highly anticipated match, Kawasaki Frontale is set to face off against Al Nassr in the Asian Champions League semi-finals, with Japanese goalkeeper Louis Thebault-Yamaguchi preparing to take on Cristiano Ronaldo and his team. According to an interview with Flashscore, Thebault-Yamaguchi is taking the match as “just another game,” despite the presence of high-profile players like Ronaldo.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper, born to a French father and Japanese mother, has had an interesting career path, trained by FC Tokyo and FC Lorient. He believes that his unique background has prepared him for this moment, stating, “I think it’s a chance to make my name known to the general public, and not just in Japan but more internationally, so for me I’m taking it more as a chance, as an opportunity to put in a good performance.”
When asked about facing a team with many big stars, including Brozovic, Mane, and Duran, Thebault-Yamaguchi remained calm, saying, “I think it’s more the team in general; after all, each player has different qualities, so it’s not scary. I have to be more on the lookout for certain actions, perhaps shots from distance, shots that are completely different from those I might receive in Japan, dribbles, crosses… All these things will be different depending on the players on the pitch, so I just have to be attentive and I can’t be the only one paying attention.”
Thebault-Yamaguchi also discussed his team’s strengths, highlighting their collective quality as a key factor. “We have players with individual qualities, but I find that collective quality is superior to individual quality. So we know each other better, we know how to react in certain phases, whether it’s defensively or offensively. So I think that’s where we have a lot to play for.”
According to Flashscore, Kawasaki Frontale has been performing well in the Champions League, having knocked out Qatari league leaders Al Sadd in the quarter-finals. Thebault-Yamaguchi believes that his team has the potential to go far in the competition, stating, “I think we have the potential to do great things. We don’t have to adapt and try to change our style of play because they are great players. On the contrary, I think we need to make things difficult for them, knowing that they haven’t necessarily had much experience of playing against Japanese teams.”
Thebault-Yamaguchi also shared his personal story, revealing how he worked hard to become Kawasaki Frontale’s first-choice keeper. “I went out and got it, because it wasn’t easy. I worked hard for it. I started out playing football in Japan, with FC Tokyo, and then I spent three years at the FC Lorient training centre. I made my professional debut in Spain and then came back to Japan.”
When asked if he had any doubts about his career path, Thebault-Yamaguchi replied, “No, I didn’t have any doubts because I knew that these were experiences I had to go through, that I had to go through them to achieve what I wanted. And for a goalkeeper in particular, it’s very important to go through these stages.”
The semi-final match between Al Nassr and Kawasaki Frontale is expected to be a thrilling encounter, with Thebault-Yamaguchi ready to take on Ronaldo and his team. As reported by Flashscore, the Japanese goalkeeper is confident in his team’s abilities and is looking forward to the challenge.
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