On The Shoulder’s of an Idol

By Gordon Fleetwood, writing from New York City

It was the 87th minute in Japan’s Asian Cup semifinal against South Korea when Shinji Kagawa hobbled off the pitch. With the game balanced on a knife’s edge, it was a huge blow to Japan. They were now without one of their most talented players. On a bright note, first impressions indicated that the injury wasn’t too serious. Even without Kagawa, the Blue Samurai went on to win comfortably in a penalty shoot-up. Japan breathed a sigh of relief. The path to the final was clear, and Kagawa’s injury seemed minor. All was right with the world. That is, until scans were conducted later in the day.

Kagawa’s injury was more serious than first thought. His metatarsal had been fractured. Recovery time was estimated at a few months. The player was out of the final against Australia. If the Japanese camp was crestfallen, one can only imagine the reaction almost half a world away in the westernmost most part of Dortmund, Germany. There, in the area known as the North Rhine Westphalia, yellow and black hearts must have sunk. Japan may be without the phenom for the final, but Borussia Dortmund would be without their talisman for the rest of their Bundesliga campaign.

(Source: philosofooty)