Throughout last year's battles, the keyword for the team was "passion."
The battles that fueled them were expressed as a desire to win, creating excitement in the stadium.
This season, WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA will focus on the spirit that each player has behind their "passion." What kind of power will their soul, enthusiasm, courage, and determination give to the team this season?

DENIZ HUMMET never forgets to smile for the sake of his beloved soccer. That is the spirit he values.
"Football is always full of joy, sorrow and happiness. You don't always have good times, you also have to face difficult times. When you transfer, you have to say goodbye to teammates and staff, but also meet new people. No matter how much you want to win, it doesn't always end the way you want it to. But it's precisely because of these things that "football" is about that I always want to respect my teammates and face the football that I love with a smile."
Being that kind of person has driven Humet's career forward. As he says, it wasn't always good times. Although he was highly regarded as one of the most "talented players" in his native Sweden, he was pushed to rock bottom when he made his first overseas transfer at the age of 18.
"I played for my hometown club Malmö FF for 13 years, including my time at the academy, and was fairly well-received before transferring to Troyes AC in France. However, I found myself in a country where I had no friends, there was a language barrier, and a completely different style of football. I was overcome with anxiety and homesickness. It's no exaggeration to say that I lost everything I had built up until then and started from scratch. As a result, I was unable to grasp anything in France and returned to my home country."
However, even in such a situation, Humet continued to ask himself, "Why did I become a soccer player?", which helped him get back on his feet.
"In your career, there are ups and downs. Whenever I feel like I'm on the ups and downs, I always go back to basics, face soccer with humility, and remind myself to be grateful to my family and siblings who have always helped me. By continuing to do so, I've learned that "it's okay for people to move forward at different speeds and take different amounts of time to achieve their goals," and I think that's what's allowed me to still stand on the pitch as a professional soccer player."
Also supported by an unwavering love for soccer.
"For me, soccer is life itself. If there was no soccer in my life, I would probably feel empty. But it's not just for me. I always represent my family, and I think my soccer is for my father, my mother, my siblings, and for my roots in Sweden and Turkey. Without all of that, I wouldn't be who I am today."
That mindset hasn't changed since he joined Gamba. Even when taking on new challenges, he has always aimed for success while feeling the presence of his family as a source of encouragement. It's been a month since he arrived in Japan, and it's only because of that process of continuing to learn humbly that he's been able to find his "goal."
"I think that the first month after I joined was a time to regain my game instincts, which had faded due to being away from official matches, and to get used to the characteristics of the J.League and my role at Gamba. Of course, it would have been great to score a hat-trick on my debut, but there are very few players who can achieve such a feat. Even so, it was a necessary time to properly prepare my body and mind and to express "myself", and I think that it is because of this that I have recently been able to express myself as I am on the pitch, which has started to translate into goals."
Now, Humet has begun the path to turning his play into a win for Gamba. Of course, he is doing so with a big smile on his face.


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Text by Takamura Misa

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