Turn criticism and antagonism into strength.
A: How did it feel to participate in the Beats global campaign alongside world-famous athletes?
I felt proud to be in the same video, shoulder to shoulder with world-class soccer players. At the same time, with the World Cup about to start, I felt even stronger that I did not want to lose to them. It was a great inspiration for me.
Bukayo Saka, Serge Nyaburi, and Kingsley Coman, who are also participating in the campaign, play for big clubs in Europe, and all three are from the same generation as Doyasu.
Of course, I knew them before I joined this campaign, and I was aware of them because we are from the same generation. After participating in this campaign together, I felt that my awareness of them was strengthened when I saw their games and scoring scenes, so I think we have a good rivalry now.
The theme of the campaign is "Go beyond the noise. . As a professional soccer player, how do you deal with the criticism and antagonism from fans and the media?
I know there are some players who try not to listen to them, but I am more of a person who takes such critical opinions in a positive light. Sometimes their opinions are 100% wrong, and sometimes they are right, so I try to accept them as much as possible. My personality is such that I am eager to use criticism and opposition as a source of strength, and it is one of the things that inspires me. I train every day with the thought in my mind, "I'm going to make them look up to me.
Many critics criticize the mistakes made during a game, but as soccer is said to be a "sport of mistakes," there is no way to escape them. How do you always deal with your own mistakes?
As you just said, soccer is a sport where it is normal for mistakes to occur. So, I don't think that one mistake is taken up too much, and other players make mistakes too, so I don't mind it at all (laughs).
Are you the type of person who doesn't let mistakes linger?
Thanks to all the experiences I have had, I am able to forget my mistakes. When I was younger, if the first 5 or 10 minutes were bad, it would be bad until the end of the game. Gradually, I became able to recover from a bad start. . You can't take back what has already happened, and you have to focus on the next play.
What is the biggest "noise" that Doan has overcome so far?
Playing soccer in Europe as a Japanese and as an Asian, I sometimes felt that I was not expected to play in the beginning. In the midst of all this, I have played for five years and I think I have proven that a Japanese person can play on the highest European stage. . I would like to continue to overturn the lower ranks and surprise the world.
