In 2007, Keisuke Honda left Japan for Europe as another modest, starry-eyed kid. On Saturday he returned as a multi-millionaire, multidimensional megastar.
Months after Melbourne Victory sent a samurai sword through the hearts of millions of Japanese round-ball diehards when it killed off a romantic J-League homecoming, the club arrived with the local icon at the helm.
Honda touched down on home soil before his first club game in Japan – population 127 million – since November 2007, to an emotional return.
Even a simple team walk to Peace Memorial Park saw Honda catch a taxi, to avoid a potential circus as the first day evoked emotion of a different kind for the star.
Honda, who had visited the site as a kid, seemed taken aback when seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Atomic Bomb Museum, in memory of the 1945 US bombing.
It was a poignant moment and a rare time of reflection for Honda, as he prepares for a hectic few days.
Victory players got a taste of it at Sydney Airport, when hundreds of Japanese swarmed Honda to pose for photos just before he boarded his Japan-bound flight.
A brief stopover in Tokyo caused pandemonium, with police literally tackling a grown man who – hugging a Honda AC Milan top – tried to clear a check-in rope to get an autograph.
A lower key arrival into Hiroshima ensued, due to the smaller population and the meticulous planning of Victory’s no-nonsense security chief John McLeod, who arrived in advance to plot their itinerary.
Victory has had a taste of Honda’s stardom in Melbourne, but Japan was on another planet.
“Any given day when we are (training) at Gosch’s Paddock, there’s anywhere from 30-80 Japanese watching,’’ Victory coach Kevin Muscat said.
To read more of the Herald Sun’s fascinating insight into the life of Keisuke Honda, click here.
Keisuke Honda has achieved much in his career but the Melbourne Victory star believes he can have an even bigger impact off the field, via @davutovic.https://t.co/getMO4CMi0
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) March 9, 2019
