http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Shinji-Kagawa-c33364
Shinji Kagawa was born on 17th March, 1989 in Tarumi-ku, Kobel. He is an attacking midfielder for the Japanese national football team and has earned 20 caps for his side.
Club
The Tarumi-ku native started playing football in his early youth. Bubbling with enormous passion for the game, he joined the local football club Kobe N, in his primary school days. It was then, that Kagawa moved to Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture where he joined
the juniors’ club, FC Miyagi Barcelona. The Osaka city football club Cerezo Osaka immediately discovered the talent in the young lad and signed him at the age of 17, making him the first youngster to sign a professional contract before even graduating high
school. The Japanese star remained in the league for three years before moving to German Bundesliga. Shinji was the “Top Scorer” in the J. League Division 2, 2009.
In the year 2010, the player signed a contract with Borussia Dortmund, the German association football club. The bright young Japanese opened his account for the German side, against the Azerbaijani football club named Qarabag Agdam in the Europa League,
qualifying with two consecutive goals. The match finished in a tie. He continued this flashing performance in the Bundesliga, when he scored his first goal in the league against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/VfL-Wolfsburg-c40881. Steve McClaren could only watch his side go down to the superior
Borussians as the league leaders won by a 2 – 0 score line. Kagawa added more to his goal tally against rivals Schalke 04. The Japanese sensation scored a brace in that game as the match finished 3 - 1 in favour of Borussia. Kagawa had already become a fan
favourite by now.
Because of his glamorous performance, the Japanese placed himself in the hearts of the Dortmund management. Along with his teammates, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nuri-Sahin-c28251, Kagawa played a vital part in putting his team on the top
of the table, prior to the winter break of the team. This resulted in a near-record setting in the league in the 2010/11 season and led other clubs, including the English club Manchester United, eyeing the youngster. The Red Devils were ready to make a move
to acquire the services of 21-year-old, when Borussia Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke announced that his players were not for sale. The president stated, "They can immediately end their preparations to make an offer. It's absolutely out of the question
that we will sell Kagawa. He's not for sale at any price. Not now and not in the summer."
International
The Japanese champ was sighted by the national team selectors, while he was playing for the Cerezo Osaka. Kagawa was then drafted to the under-20 national team in 2007 for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Canada-c748. Shinji was also called-in to represent the national
team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/China-c8926. Even though Kagawa couldn’t break into the first team during the Olympics, he made his senior international debut in a friendly against Ivory Coast. Samurai Blue won the game with a 1 – 0 score line. Sadly for the
youngster and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Japan-c2928, he could not confirm his place in Takeshi Okada’s 23-player squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
During his 5 year career, Kagawa has achieved much. The selection in the national team and a move to the Bundesliga are not the fate of many. He has represented his country in several tournaments including FIFA Under-20 World Cup, 2007, 2008 Summer Olympics,
AFC Under-19 Championship, 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifications.
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