"Passion" became the team's keyword throughout last year's battles.
This was expressed as an obsession with winning and generated enthusiasm in the stadium.
This season's WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA will focus on the "spirit" that lies behind the passion of each player. What kind of power will their soul, enthusiasm, and determination give to Gamba this season?

I was a crybaby from an early age. I had a good relationship with my brother who was two years older than me, and I would always follow him out to play, but every time I would come home crying.
"I grew up with the idea of ​​following my older brother and trying to catch up and surpass him, which is common among second sons, but I was always crying after losing in soccer or playing games. I barely remember anything from my past, but I have vivid memories of crying on the way home from playing at the park with my older brother, so I guess I must have been really frustrated."
Even after he started playing soccer seriously, he looks back and sees that experience as the starting point.
"I experienced a lot of 'regrets' growing up, and that didn't change when I was with Kashiwa Reysol U-15 and U-18, but I was always able to go into it with the attitude of 'I can't lose' because I had a 'strong competitive spirit' that I had developed before I started elementary school. Whether it was soccer, studying, or school events, the desire to always be the best made me stronger."
However, after he became a professional, Shinnosuke NAKATANI no longer cried out of frustration because he was always aware of his own shortcomings.
"Honestly, I started out with the idea that as a professional, "I'm lacking in many areas" and "I still have a lot to improve." The only way to overcome that situation was to practice more. In that sense, I went from "I'm working hard because I'm frustrated" to "I'm working hard because I know I'm lacking," and that's still at the heart of my feelings."
If I can't play in a match, I work hard to be able to play. To be able to perform better on the pitch. To be someone who can contribute to winning. I have found growth by not running away from the situation, but by facing it and trying to overcome it.
"I always thought there was always someone better, and I was inspired by the other players to go further and further. It's not so much ambition, it's just that I'm very greedy. Even if I achieve a goal, I want to get better, win a championship, play overseas, join the Japanese national team, and I still want this and that. Right now, I have a clear goal of absolutely wanting to be selected for the Japanese national team to play in Korea in the East Asian E-1 Football Championship 2025 Final Tournament, scheduled for July. Having had a good season at Gamba last year, my desire to achieve that has only grown stronger, and in order to do so, I believe the team must first show clear results."
What I want to do for myself this season is to continue to "reduce the number of goals conceded through my own performance," as I have done in the past, and to infect my team with my desire. I will step onto the pitch with the intention of demonstrating the defensive and leadership skills I showed on the back line last year at an even higher level.
"My football is all about wanting to win. I fight because I want to win, I put my body on the line, I run because I want to win, and I aim for the goal. I want to spread that mentality to the team. Positions are not something you get by waiting for, you have to go and grab them yourself. If we can become a team filled with individual desire while facing up to what we are lacking and what we need to hone in order to play in matches, Gamba can become even stronger. To achieve that, I have to do more myself, and because I think about my position and responsibilities, I have to be strict with the team. Even when I'm calling out to the team during practice, instead of just cheering them on, I can make more demanding calls and give a stricter warning if there is a player who is slacking off on what the team needs to do. I also want to be more conscious of the quality of my voice."
The desire that is overflowing on the back line will surely push Nakatani and Gamba to even greater heights this season as well.


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Text by Takamura Misa