It has been a common saying in the Asian soccer world that players are generally shorter than their counterparts in Europe and the United States, and this has long been a consensus among fans. However, in the nearly 30 years of the history of the Japanese Professional Football League, there have been a number of small but highly skilled players, they are like "short tigers" in general, in the green field to write the legend. Today, let's take a look at the best of these short-footed tigers.
1. Tairen Honda
When it comes to Tairen Honda, fans who are familiar with the Nippon Professional League are familiar with him. The player, who is only 1 meter 66 tall, was a Japan international in the 90s and is a legend of Kashima Antlers.
Born in 1969, Tairen Honda made his name in Japanese football before the JFL was established, and after graduating from Teikyo High School in 1988, he joined Honda Motor Works and played semi-professionally for FC Honda in the JFL, before joining Kashima Antlers in 1992 to start a new chapter in his career.
Despite his small stature, Tairen Honda was extremely effective on the field, becoming the centerpiece of the Kashima Antlers' midfield with his excellent fitness and abundant fighting spirit. He was mainly a defensive midfielder, with ferocious tackles but not many assists, and did not score many goals in his career, scoring only 3 goals in the entire 1995 season.
Taito Honda became the captain of Kashima Antlers and a leader of the team. He made his debut for the "Blue Samurai" in 1995, after performing well at club level, and in 1996, during the final week of the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, he was selected for the whole tournament, which showed his importance in the Japanese national team at that time.
However, after Takeshi Okada replaced Shigeru Kamo as the supervisor of the national team in the second half of 1997, Tairen Honda's chances of international appearances were drastically reduced, and he has not played for the Blue Samurai since. Despite his unsatisfactory national team career, Honda remained an important player for Kashima Antlers until he officially retired in the 2006 season, having made 400 appearances for Kashima Antlers in the Nippon Professional League.
After retiring from soccer, Tairen Honda did not leave the soccer scene and returned to his hometown of Kitakyushu to run a soccer academy. In addition, he is a well-known Youtuber in the Japanese soccer world, often sharing his insights on soccer and interviewing other classic players on his channel, which shows his influence in the region.
2. Huiyue Ito
Next up, we have Teruyuki Ito, who stands at 1'68" and also plays as a defensive midfielder, and has a similar experience to Taizo Honda.
Born in 1974, Teruyuki Ito began his professional soccer career in 1993 after graduating from high school and joining his hometown club Shimizu S Pulse. However, he didn't get any chance to play in his first season with the club, and didn't make his debut until the 1994 season, but only made 6 appearances in the whole season, which wasn't much of a chance.
In the 1995 season, Shimizu Heartbeat was coached by Miyamoto, the same coach who promoted Honda to the core of the team, who took a liking to Teruyuki Ito and developed him into the team's midfield dynamo. in the 1995 season, Teruyuki Ito's chances of playing in the team's midfield increased dramatically, and he played in all 44 matches of the JSL, and established his status as a regular in the team.
In the 1996 season, Shimizu S Pulse won the League Cup for the first time, and Teruyuki Ito became a core member of the team in the mid-90's. Teruyuki Ito was involved in the runner-up finish of the league in the 1999 season, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2000, and the Emperor Cup Winners' Cup in 2001, and he was voted one of the best eleven in the Nippon Professional League in the 1999 season.
His brilliant performances at club level laid the foundation for Teruyuki Ito's national team career. Teruyuki Ito represented the Japanese Olympic team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he played all three matches and scored the only goal in an upset win over Brazil, a "Miami Miracle" that will live in infamy!
