Takuma Asano was the hero on the day for Japan as they produced a shock victory in their World Cup opener against a Germany side that took the lead through an Ilkay Gundogan penalty. Once the Japanese substitute scored, Arsenal’s faithful around the world were perhaps doing something of a double take and asking, “Is that who I think it is?”
The answer is "Yes!” That is indeed the former Japanese young star that Arsene Wenger brought in to Arsenal from Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2016. Now 28 years of age, Asano has found his feet playing for Vfl Bochum in the Bundesliga.
But what exactly happened with Asano and why didn’t it work out at Arsenal, and further, how did a player producing brilliant touches and finishes in the 2022 World Cup not even make an appearance for Arsenal? football.london looks into the forward to find out why.
