It was announced that SATO Kein (4th year in the School of Arts and Letters), a member of the Football Club and a member of Japan’s U-22 national football team, has signed a contract with SV Werder Bremen, a German Bundesliga club, and will join the club on August 1. Meiji University held a press conference on July 20 at the Shikon Kan Alumni Memorial Building on the Surugadai Campus.
The press conference began with an address by INOUE Masaru, General Manager of the Football Club (Professor at the School of Arts and Letters), followed by Head Coach KURITA Daisuke. Head Coach KURITA commented on the process leading up to the signing of the contract, “It started from his strong will to play overseas and the question of the shortest route to achieving the vision that he had in mind. In February of this year, he participated in training in Germany and received an offer in June. I met with Bremen’s head coach and staff several times and talked a lot about what kind of player they expected SATO to be and what they thought of him.”
He added, “SATO is characterized by his hard work in both offense and defense, and his ability to break through and propel himself toward the goal. He has passion, speaks English, and has good communication skills, so I thought he was suited for overseas opportunities.” In addition to vouching for SATO, he also said, “He is a player with an exceptional talent that allows him to overcome the barrier better as it gets higher, and to seize the opportunity in front of him. I hope that he will continue to pursue his dreams,” expressing his hopes for SATO’s success.
SATO then gave his thoughts on joining the club. “I have a strong love for Meiji University, and as the vice-captain, I wanted to fight it out for four years at Meiji University and go to Germany in January after the intercollegiate championship, but Head Coach KURITA told me that I should seize the opportunity over the next six months. With encouragement from him, I’ve decided to join the German club in August,” he said about the timing to join the German club. He further recalled, “When I told the club members that I was leaving the club, both myself and my peers cried, but seeing them made me want to work harder and be an inspiration to them.”
As for his goals after joining the German club, he stated emphatically, “Although I am joining the U-23 team, I would like to participate in the top team’s training and be recognized there so that I can play a key role in the top team.”
After that, a Japanese translation of a message from Clemens Fritz, Director of Professional Football and Scouting at SV Werder Bremen, was read out.
Due to joining the German club, SATO will leave the Meiji University Football Club at the end of July and jump into a new environment. He will continue his enrollment at the university, aiming to graduate in March 2024.
Please look forward to SATO’s future success.
Full text of Clemens Fritz’s message (Japanese translation)
We are very pleased to welcome SATO Kein to SV Werder Bremen.
Kein is not a widely known figure in European professional football, but we have been following his performances with the Japan national team.
Kein is a player who not only excels in physical strength and athleticism, but also has a high level of agility that allows him to toy with his opponents.
We are very pleased and elated to have acquired such a promising 22-year-old.
And we are confident that Kein will be a great help to our club.
Clemens Fritz
Director of Professional Football and Scouting, SV Werder Bremen
≪Japanese version≫
