“I want to say thank you”

Shinji, welcome back to Stuttgart! What brings you here?

“I retired recently so I came to say thank you. VfB was the first foreign club I played for. I learned a lot here that I was able to make use of later in my career at other European clubs. I’m very grateful for that.”

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You made 85 competitive appearances for VfB between January 2011 and May 2013. What are your memories of that time?

“I had a great time. There are a couple of disappointing memories from that period, but also lots of nice ones. I’m grateful to my team-mates back then like Cacau, because they made me feel so welcome. I had only ever played in Japan before that. At VfB it was the first time I made friends with people from other countries.”

How do you keep track of VfB from afar?

“I was delighted to see VfB finish in second place after a fantastic season. I was equally delighted to see the team secure their Bundesliga survival in previous years. I still keep track of VfB’s results and I think it’s great that Japanese players play for the club regularly.”

The VfB first team will embark on a Japan Tour in July. What can they look forward to?

“Compared to Germany, Japan is a completely different world. There are lots of heavily populated cities and lots of cars. The people are open, warm and polite. I’d be happy to see the players be open to the new culture, and above all, to try the great food [laughs].”