I'm not the Thai Messi,I'm Chanathip!!　The superstar from Thailand says with a grin. (2ページ目)

Chanathip first visited Japan in November 2013. His then-club, BEC Tero Sasana (now Police Tero), had a partnership programme with Shimizu S-Pulse, which enables him to join the J-League side in training.

"My first impression of Japan was that it is very clean. Everything is neat and tidy, and the air is clear. The food is so delicious and you can get anything you want in this country. Japan is one of the best destinations for Thai people and they like to visit Japan - I now understand the reasons why."

Although Shimizu did not ultimately offer him a contract, three years later Sapporo did make a move.

"Sapporo offered to sign me because they highly rated my performances. I was delighted about that. When I trained with Shimizu, I felt I really wanted to play in the J-League one day. I thought I would improve in the league, and the dream came true. I just said yes to them without any hesitation."

As he imagined, Japan and the J-League made him a better player. The numbers tell: in his first season (admittedly having joined in mid-season) his record was no goals and one assist; in his second season (2018) he recorded eight goals and two assists; and his third season (2019) Chanathip produced four goals and six assists.