Pride. Literally, pride, self-esteem.
Although every professional soccer player has this in their heart,
Each player's approach and mindset is very different.
This season's WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA is,
Deep in the hearts of the players,
Revealing each person's pride.

He has loved soccer since he was a child and has always pursued the goal of becoming a better player.

"I wanted to be the best, so much so that everyone was wary of me and when they thought of defensive midfielder, they thought of Tokuma SUZUKI ."

During this process, it was during his time at Maebashi Ikuei High School that he realized he could learn from losing. He realized that the growth that comes from knowing and accepting the disappointment can help him grow many times more than if he had won.

"Up until I was in junior high school, even if I lost, I'd just think, 'Oh no, I lost! That's the worst!' But as I became a high school student, I gradually started to think, 'Because I lost, I'll do this next time, I have to change this.' From there, through losses in special matches where I fought with great feelings, such as the semi-finals of the Inter-High School Championships and the finals of the High School Soccer Championships, I learned about rebound mentality and started thinking more about how I could improve. As my desire to improve became stronger in this way, I also felt that my growth was increasing."

This idea turned into a conviction when I came across a book called "The Secret of How to Lose (by Katsuya Nomura)" in the research lab of Head Coach Masaaki KOIDO during my time at Tsukuba University. As I compared each word in the book to my own career, I realized that "indeed, I have gained a lot from losing," and this became a strength for me as I became a professional and survived in the world of competition.

"Of course, it's better to win, and I always want to win. Although there are things to learn from losing, I never get used to losing. However, as Nomura said, "There are no strange losses," there is always a reason for losing. If you carefully organize the flow and the efforts that led to the loss, and then continue to use that lesson next time, your chances of winning will naturally increase. Of course, you won't be fighting the same opponent every time, so it's hard to say for sure, but you can definitely use the fact that you lost to increase your chances of winning. I intend to continue doing that forever in order to continue seeking my own growth."

That's why Suzuki has already turned the disappointment of losing the EMPEROR'S CUP final on November 23rd into his own strength.

"First of all, I think it's important to take a good look back at this game and accept that this result was the result we had, including the way we prepared, our mentality, and even the flow of events leading up to the game. From there, we need to think about what we need to improve and grow in. It's important not to just say, 'We lost, it's frustrating,' but to think about how we can use this experience to carry us forward into the remaining league games and next year, and personally, I want to use this result as fertilizer for growth."

To become better and better at the soccer he loves, he continues to learn, win or lose. That pride has shaped Tokuma SUZUKI into the player he is today.


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Text by Takamura Misa

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