VETERAN Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda was greeted like the messiah when he arrived at Rio de Janeiro airport
last Friday.
As many as 3,000 fans of the Botafogo club made the trek out to greet him and celebrate his signing. The following day there were 13,000 of them in the stadium to witness his presentation.
Keisuke Honda was given a rapturous welcome as he arrived at a Brazilian airport last FridayCredit: AP:Associated Press
Botafogo fans welcomed the Japanese superstar to their clubCredit: AFP or licensors
This is not the kind of thing that usually happens to a coach of the Cambodian national team who could barely get a game last year for Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch league.
Honda, of course, has a fine CV – three World Cups, almost 100 caps and success in top class European football, especially with CSKA and Milan.
He has a wonderful left foot, and is still only 33. Nevertheless, since leaving Italy in 2017 his career has followed a strange path – spells in Mexico and Australia, taking the Cambodia job and then having a dismal time in Holland.
Even so, Botafogo fans want to believe in him – which probably says more about them than it does about him.
FOLLOWING BOTAFOGO LEGENDS
Those sides that captured the heart of the world and established Brazil as the spiritual home of football – the World Cup winning teams of 1958, 62 and 70 – were built on a combination of two clubs.
There were lots of players from the Santos of Pele, and plenty more from Botafogo; there was Garrincha, the incomparable dribbler, left back Nilton Santos, the encyclopedia of football, Amarildo, the striker who stepped in for the injured Pele in 1962, the midfield pass master Didi – and Gerson, the man who filled his role in 1970.
There was also Jairzinho, the wonderfully athletic right winger who scored in every game in 1970.
It was a golden age for the club – and perhaps a golden age for Brazil. A popular local book is entitled ‘1958 – the year that should never have ended.’
Botafogo fans would certainly agree. Brazil was booming, Bossa Nova was launched, and some of the best players in the world were wearing the black and white striped shirt with the lone star badge.
Honda follows in the footsteps of Botafogo legends like Jairzinho, leftCredit: AP:Associated Press
13,000 fans welcomed Honda to BotafogoCredit: AFP
THE AFTERMATH
Living with the aftermath has not been easy. Those golden years could not be sustained.
Botafogo’s fan base is relatively small – they cannot rival Vasco da Gama, or come close to matching the immense nationwide support of Flamengo.
And so once the great names had gone the club sunk back – and for those who had watched genius on a weekly basis, mediocrity was all the more painful.
In recent times Botafogo have spent time in the second division. And they start every campaign more concerned with avoiding relegation than with challenging for the title.
This is made all the more bitter by the success of Flamengo, current champions of Brazil and South America.
HONDA REVOLUTION
For their own self-esteem, Botafogo needed to find some response.
And so in come Honda. He must already have grasped the size of the task ahead of him.
On Sunday he watched in the Maracana stadium as his new team-mates were beaten 3-0 by Fluminense. Coach Alberto Valentim was sacked soon after the final whistle.
Honda has the opportunity to shine at Botafogo and represent Japan at Tokyo 2020Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Signing Honda will bring Botafogo much-needed attention in today’s worldCredit: Reuters
There are obvious benefits to signing Honda. It will attract international attention for a club with a famous name.
And the player will surely be motivated – he wants to get in form to represent Japan later this year at the Tokyo Olympics.
But if he is to live up to the expectations and spray those left footed passes all over the field Keisuke Honda will have to channel the spirit of Gerson.
Botafogo announce new signing, Japan legend Keisuke Honda, as a Pokémon character
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
