Ayase, they used to call me "Prince of Japan". As long as I played, I could always control the tempo of the game. At the age of 30, I decided to stop and return to my hometown, Japan.
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Today, January 1, 2025, I approached Sérgio Conceição, the head coach of AC Milan. The beautiful morning atmosphere turned gloomy for the club's fans. I, the "Prince of Japan", their mainstay player, wearing the number 7 jersey, officially said goodbye to the club. This decision is final for me, being a football player is no longer challenging for me. I need a new challenge.
I walked around San Siro for the last time, slowly walking step by step. My eyes watered a little as I entered the club's achievements room and saw how far I had come. After taking one last photo, my heart asked myself again if this was the right decision. However, I couldn't go back even if I wanted to. All I could do now was think about how I was going to continue living with all the money I earned from playing football.
***
Short story, I returned to Naha, Japan, my hometown. I have booked a ticket from Milan Malpensa International Airport to Naha International Airport. Departing at 07.00 am Milan time and arriving in Naha at 12 midnight Naha time. This trip took up to 15 hours and my whole body felt sore even though I was used to traveling long distances.
My parents welcomed me back to Japan. Coming out of the airport, I ordered an XL taxi that could carry all my luggage. When I got home, I thought about what I should do next. The money I had earned from being a football player while in Italy reached 262.6 million euros or around 42.5 billion yen.
In the midst of the confusion, news appeared on Japanese national TV that Ehime FC, a J2 league (Japanese second league) football club failed to operate and the club owner wanted to sell the club immediately. Hearing that, I immediately contacted my teammate on the Japanese national team and asked if he had the contact of the owner of the Ehime FC club. My cellphone rang, finally he answered my call. My hunch was right, now I just have to wait for the negotiation time with the owner of the Ehime FC club.
***
the next day I came to the appointment place wearing a white shirt and black pants. We agreed to negotiate at a famous cafe in Naha because it was not too far from my house.
"Mr. Ayase! Here!", said the white-haired old man.
"Are you Kamei-san? The owner of Ehime FC club", I asked.
It was true, the old man with white hair was the owner of the Ehime FC club. The two of us chatted about many things and finally we got to the main topic, which was the price of the club. At first, Kamei-san did not agree with the offer I gave of 860 million yen. He said that he was selling the club because he needed money to open his new business. In the end, we both agreed on a price of 1 billion yen and I thought it was a good price and did not drain my wallet which still had 41.5 billion yen left.
"Congratulations Mr. Ayase for becoming the owner of Ehime FC club, I hope you can success in the future", Kamei-san said.
Now I will go to Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture to check on the club's condition. First we will check the condition of the field, Ningineer Stadium.
To be continued...