The former star of Galatasaray retired from football at the age of 45.

Former Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto, who once wore the Galatasaray jersey, announced his retirement at the age of 45. Inamoto, who played for Nankatsu SC in the Katsushika district of Tokyo, revealed his decision to retire during a press conference.

"I FELT I COULDN'T HELP THE TEAM"

Inamoto, who stated that he had been considering retirement for the last 2-3 years, said, "This year, I felt that I couldn't help the team with my current abilities." The 45-year-old Inamoto, who announced his retirement for this reason, shared his experiences throughout his football career, including in England and Turkey.

Recalling the friendly match in March 2001, where Japan's national team "Samurai Blue" lost 5-0 to France, Inamoto noted:

"That match was the most shocking of my career. I felt the gap between us and the world, and that match made me think a lot about what I would do next. Zidane, whom I looked up to, was on the field in that match. I was sure that if I could time it right, I could steal the ball from anyone. However, I never managed to do that against Zidane."

"FOOTBALL IS PURELY ENTERTAINMENT"

Inamoto stated regarding the impact of the 2002 FIFA World Cup on his career, "Thanks to those matches, my name became known worldwide, and the impact of my goals was tremendous." He added that until his retirement, he played in many teams at various levels, including the Premier League abroad and the 5th league domestically, saying, "Ultimately, football is purely entertainment. Even if the environment is different, the ball is the same, and football remains the same. Honestly, I feel like I have achieved everything in the last 28 years."

Regarding his future, Inamoto expressed his goal of pursuing a coaching career "if possible," stating, "I would like to share my experiences at a higher level."

HE ALSO PLAYED FOR GALATASARAY

Inamoto, who played in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 World Cup tournaments, scored 5 goals in a total of 82 matches wearing the "Samurai Blue" jersey. Inamoto, who played for Arsenal and Fulham in 2001 and 2002 respectively, earned the title of "the first Japanese player to play in the Premier League." The goal he scored against Tottenham in September 2002 while wearing the Fulham jersey was recorded as "the first goal scored by a Japanese player in the Premier League." In 2004, Inamoto signed a contract with West Bromwich and subsequently played for Cardiff, Galatasaray, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Rennes.

HE RETIRED LIKE TSUBASA

Inamoto, who wore the jersey of the Japanese J1 League team Kawasaki Frontale from 2010 to 2014, played his last match in the J1 league in 2018 with Consadole Sapporo. After playing for a while with the J3 League team SC Sagamihara, Inamoto later joined Nankatsu SC, which is popular and led by Yoiçi Takahaşi, the author of the "Captain Tsubasa" anime series.