Kenjiro Shio: Received death threats before the match against Brazil; touching Van Dijk was to test his strength.

In an interview with *Number* magazine, Kento Shiogai recounted a bittersweet June for the young player. His comments were misinterpreted and circulated globally. After the match, he spoke about his substitute appearance against the Netherlands and the ensuing media storm. He described how Shiogai was subjected to "a certain gesture" by defender Gabriel, and how Cunha comforted the sobbing Tanaka Ao; the unusual events surrounding the World Cup, including "Ritsu Doan's rage" and "Keito Nakamura's tattered socks," were all recorded, and the unusual events were noticed two days before the match against Brazil.

Before training, he checked his phone and found that his social media account had received an unusually large number of comments, almost all of which were in English or Portuguese.

Even as the entire team traveled to Houston on a chartered plane for their match against Brazil, comment notifications kept popping up.

The defamation and slander in private messages escalated, eventually leading to messages containing death threats.

In his hotel room, Yan Beijian felt a tension he had never experienced before.

Shiogai is the Japanese national team player who made the World Cup squad with the fewest appearances in history.

Before the 2026 World Cup squad was announced, he had only made one appearance for the national team. He took a break from Keio University during his sophomore year to play football in Europe, and only two years have passed since then.

But in March of this year, he made his first appearance for the national team, coming on as a substitute in a match against Scotland and assisting the winning goal, thus securing a place in the World Cup. Coach Hajime Moriyasu was drawn to the "sharp and ambitious spirit" of this rapidly developing young man.

His momentum quickly translated into his performance on the field. On the last day of the pre-match training camp in Monterrey, Mexico, the team played a closed-door training match against the U19 Japanese team. Shiobe came on as a substitute in the fourth quarter, received a long pass from Takehiro Tomiyasu, and made a run forward to score.

In an interview in Tokyo after the World Cup, Shiobei recalled in a low voice.

"It was incredibly hot on the last day in Monterrey. We were conceded a goal to the U19s first, and we knew we couldn't afford to lose, so we had to fight hard. I only came on in the fourth quarter, so I was able to run more. Then Tomiyasu (Kenyo) delivered a fantastic pass, and I scored."

This training match was a tactical drill simulating a match against the Netherlands. Coach Moriyasu said the following to him at the time:

"Kenren, your advantage is mobility. I hope you can make good use of this advantage in the final stages of the World Cup."

Although Yan Bei is not a man of many words, he has a clear understanding of his own role. He is prepared to be a surprise weapon in this World Cup.

“Since I was first selected for the national team, I have always been brought on in the late stages of the game. Of course, I also want to fight for a starting position, but this time I am focused on helping the team win and I have been thinking about what I can do.”

Salt Bayern has a few lucky habits that help him score goals, one of which is getting his hair cut by a foreign barber.

"When I went to France with the U19 Japanese team, I just walked into a local barbershop and got a haircut. Then I scored a goal in the next game. I wanted to get a haircut before the game against the Netherlands, so I found a barber in Dallas to come to my hotel and cut my hair. They asked if I was afraid of messing it up. I thought it was quite interesting."

He completed all his usual routines and approached match day in a clear-headed state. Just how calm he was can be seen in his first ball handling after coming on as a substitute in the Netherlands match.