11 May 2006(Thu)

Tokyo, May 9, 2006 -- As the May 15 deadline draws near for Zico to announce his World Cup squad, arguably the best Japanese player in the J.League won't be there.

No, he's not injured.

He's in good form, and, according to club sources, disappointed he won't be involved in the World Cup.

I'm talking about Naoki Matsuda, the Yokohama F Marinos captain.

The 29-year-old central defender is surely among Japan's top all-round players. When he is fully focused on his game he can do anything he wants at this level, and I remember writing, maybe two years ago, that Matsuda had outgrown the J.League and needed to move to Europe to keep improving.

He is a strong, athletic defender, who can play in any position in a back three and either as stopper or libero in the centre of a four-man defence. He also has great skill and vision, and would make an excellent "volante" in front of the defence.

To cap it all, Matsuda has also scored one of the best goals of the season so far with an exquisite chip, following a midfield run, against FC Tokyo at Ajista in a recent Nabisco Cup game. It was so good it could have been scored by Eric Cantona, and I can't think of many other Japanese players who could have done the same.

But, for all this, Matsuda won't be in Japan's 23 -- and he knows he only has himself to blame.

Zico showed how tough he was on squad discipline after the infamous curfew-breaking by the "Kashima Eight", and Matsuda has paid a heavy price for walking out on the squad last year when he wasn't selected in the starting line-up.

The Brazilian has proved on numerous occasions he values loyalty above all else, and there has been no way back for Matsuda.

So I'm not blaming Zico for sticking to his guns, just saying that Matsuda's mental lapse has cost him and the national team.

Wouldn't a Matsuda-Miyamoto-Nakazawa back line look stronger than anything Zico will field in Germany? And wouldn't the presence of Matsuda give Zico another option in the centre of the back three, or in the centre of the back four?

Even with all the Europe-based players back in the fold, there aren't many better Japanese players than Matsuda.

I wonder if he wishes he could turn the clock back a year, and swallow his pride and stay with the squad.

Alas, it's too late now, for Matsuda and for Zico.

ends