December 18 – Former Japan captain Makoto Hasebe was presented with the Asian Football Confederation’s 2018 Asian International Player of the Year award at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena on Sunday.
Hasebe, who won the German Cup with Eintracht in May, received the award from AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh before the Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen, which Frankfurt won 2-1.
The defensive midfielder skippered Japan at the World Cup where the Blue Samurai were the only Asian team to advance to the knockout stage before suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16.
It was his third World Cup as Japan captain, having also skippered the side who emerged champions in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He announced his retirement from international football after Russia, having made 114 appearances for Japan.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1731607348labto1731607348ofdlr1731607348owedi1731607348sni@w1731607348ahsra1731607348w.wer1731607348dna1731607348
