The keyword for the new Gamba team under Head Coach JENS WISSING is "forward."
All the players and staff members have taken these words to heart,
He is approaching football with a stronger forward-looking mindset in his playing, thinking, and even in his way of life as a footballer.
This season's WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA is a group of men who are "forward-moving"
The program will highlight breakthrough moments, such as experiences or encounters that had a major impact on one's career.
What kind of world did they find beyond that?

The disappointment he felt in the final of the Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) when he was a first-year high school student playing for GAMBA OSAKA Osaka Youth is still burned into Takato YAMAMOTO's mind. The disappointment he felt there turned into a rebellious spirit.
"Although I did come on as a substitute in some matches during the group stage of the national tournament, I was unable to increase my playing time, and the team advanced to the semi-finals and finals... What's more, in the final, my classmate Tono Taiki scored the equalizer, and Takei Ryotaro scored the winning goal. In the end, we won the championship after extra time and a penalty shootout, but as I watched from the bench, all I was left with was regret. But I knew the only way to get over that was to keep working hard and not give up. Even after the club youth team finished, I continued to not get any matches, and there was a time when I played for the B team, but I just wanted to keep going."
Since he was a child, he had always found growth by achieving short-term goals one by one, so at that time he looked down at his own feet and sought change.
"First of all, I put the club youth team aside for a moment and reexamined my own play and daily routine, focusing on steadily clearing the challenges I faced every day."
What helped me was the "soccer notebook" that I had been writing since I was in the first year of junior high school. The words I had been writing every day since my youth team days gave me the strength to keep moving forward without looking away from myself.
"I had to travel nearly an hour by train on the Midosuji Line to Senri Chuo Station, so I decided to make good use of the time and spent it studying for exams and writing a soccer notebook. Since then, I've been writing a soccer notebook for six years, including when I was living in a dormitory as a youth player. I'd write down what I felt that day, why I felt that way, and what was good and bad about my play, organize my thoughts, and use that information in practice the next day. I wanted to move forward with a clear understanding of my current situation."
The first time he felt that those days were paying off was in the final of the Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) during his second year of high school. Yamamoto started the match and with the score at 2-2 going into added time in the first half, he scored the winning goal with a direct free kick in the 40+6th minute, contributing to his team's "consecutive championship" goal.
"It was the moment when all the hard work I'd put in over the past year paid off, and I think it was the moment when I finally broke through one of the obstacles in front of me."
At the same time, this successful experience reminded me of the importance of "building up each day."
"Some players work backwards from big goals and work hard in the present, but I'm not good at setting big goals by nature. I can only think about things up to about a month in advance. Even during my youth team, I knew I absolutely wanted to become a professional, but I hardly ever gave it any concrete thought. It wasn't until I was in my third year and it was time to think about my future that I wondered if I could become a professional, but up until then I had just been working hard every day. That hasn't changed even now that I'm a professional. I want to take a position as soon as possible and play in matches, but I don't think that will come true if I just aim for that vaguely. Right now, while I'm strong when I have the ball, I feel like I have a lot of work to do off the ball in terms of positioning, ball control, and mobility, so I'm going to start by facing those things head-on and keep working at them."
I believe that if I continue to put in these days, I will be able to shine on the pitch.

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Text by Takamura Misa

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