Ao Tanaka keeps a diary (article)
I tried once. I forced it - writing what I thought were deep, philosophical thoughts that turned out to be nonsense. Maybe I wanted to feel clever or profound. It was crap.
Still, there’s science (probably) saying that writing things down helps you process life, stay centred, and avoid spiralling in the land of “what ifs.” Because really, it’s looking too far ahead - fearing falling short of promotion or relegation - that fuels most of our catastrophising.
Japan is a nation built on precision - like Germany, where Tanaka honed his game.
It’s home to Ishikawa, a tool used in manufacturing to solve problems and to reach your goal - it breaks problems into parts: define the issue, identify the causes and ultimately eliminate them.
Tanaka’s diary is a tool for clarity, focus, and remembering his “origin.” Creating a tether to humility, a blueprint for growth, and a quiet, methodical path from where he is to where he wants to be. It serves as a condensed version of his football philosophy and his ideal image of what a football player should be. Building a personal guide to who he wants to be out on the turf where he can also dismantle his problems - baying opponent midfielders.
He wants to become a MONSTER.
"What I felt this time was that there were many 'monsters' in this World Cup [2022], and I felt that I wasn't there yet. So, I want to become that 'monster' next time and face them. That's why I want to become a 'monster' over the next four years"
Ao to Japanese media discussing the impact he wants to make.
Not a rampaging Godzilla stomps down the M62 flinging cars and statues at the theatre of wet dreams. A footballing monster - composed and lethal. A player who sees gaps before they exist - yeah, that’ll do. The kind who makes defenders bow and wilt.
Tanaka says, “I am the centre. The team’s performance is my performance.” It’s a mindset that feels magnetic.
“I am the centre. The team’s performance is my performance.”
Philosopher Kitarō Nishida once wrote: “Europeans are inclined to regard their own present culture as the only highly developed one... I regard this as a petty conceited. The primordial form of historical culture is, in my view, richer.”
There’s irony here. Tanaka believes that to truly grow, Japanese footballers must leave the country and play abroad in Europe. Nishida's main idea suggests that the beginning of time is at the heart of all things. You can't have Ao as a monster without the symbiosis of modern Europe and the idea of the beginning of life wedded to your own identity.
Tanaka wants to be feared. Not out of chaos or rage, but through clarity, control, and purpose. Fire in the belly, ice in the head, as Farke might put it.
You wonder if Leeds United’s recruitment team somehow got hold of his diary - flicking through its pages like footballing voyeurs (perverts), nodding at his World Cup dreams and vision of becoming a legend by 2030. Checking his characteristics - ‘Will he disturb the dressing room?’. If everything goes to plan, Leeds won’t just have a midfielder. We’ll have a Kawasaki-born sensei strolling across the greenery of Elland Road’s dojo.
Ao striding the pitch in Japan
Tanaka wants to make history. And of course, he wants to win the World Cup. "Personally, I want to win the World Cup during my career. So, in that sense, I couldn't do it this time, but I felt many things as an individual this time. Based on that, at 32 years old, I want to create new history, both as an individual and for the nation. That's why I chose 'legend'”
“Personally, I want to win the World Cup during my career. So, in that sense, I couldn’t do it this time, but I felt many things as an individual this time. Based on that, at 32 years old, I want to create new history, both as an individual and for the nation. That’s why I chose ‘legend’”
There’s something we can all take from Japanese culture. Values - harmony, discipline, the idea of the collective - mesh perfectly with a fanbase that idolises graft, loyalty and self-sacrifice. 46% of Japanese people identify as Buddhist. That’s not to say our boch* does, but the philosophy ripples through Japanese culture. Ritual. Balance. The greater good, as it does particularly in Ao Tanaka.
常に自分より優先される Tsuneni jibun yori yūsen sa reru (side before self, everytime).
Even after scoring against Spain at the World Cup, Tanaka looked around and thought: there’s still another level. He made a choice and goal to become one of them. This could well be a defining season for the midfielder that takes him to places new, to folklore and beyond.
That’s Tanaka’s mindset.
That’s his diary.
That’s his monster.
So what does Leeds United get by the year 2030? The absolute prime of Ao Tanaka…or we sell him for £10 million because of some obscure release clause buried in his contract, cheers Angus. Leeds, that! We probably need to live in the moment and keep a diary.
Article by @jamesweller
Special thank you to - じお for his support and guidance with this piece. Source material - here and here
Also, Declan Rice watches videos of Tanaka, maybe he should write a diary.