24 Aug 2006(Thu)

Tokyo, August 23, 2006: Shortly after taking over the national team, Ivica Osim was asked who his captain would be.

Osim replied that a captain would emerge naturally from his new group of players, and in the meantime the experienced and respected Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi would wear the captain's armband.

Well, after two games, I know who my long-term captain would be.

Without a doubt, it would be...Tulio!

Okay, he's only played two games for Japan, but so what? He's a natural leader, loves the blue (and the red) and would run through a brick wall to stop a goal being scored.

His position, also, makes him the perfect captain, just like Miyamoto and Ihara before him and like John Terry now for England. I always thought Terry, rather than Gerrard, was the favourite to replace King David as captain of the 2010 World Cup-winners in South Africa, and Tulio reminds me of Terry -- apart from (maybe) his salary.

Osim has other options. He could stick with Yoshi, or promote his captain at JEF, Yuki Abe, or even give the job to another Red, such as Tsuboi or Keita.

But I think Tulio has more presence than anyone else in the squad, and is surely guaranteed a place in Osim's starting line-up, which is an important factor.

I also think the captaincy would be good for Tulio. He would relish the responsibility and would lead by example, making sure that everyone gave maximum effort and that heads never dropped if things were not going well.

Yes, Tulio would be the man for me to succeed Miyamoto, and I would like to see it happen in time for the two away games with Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Also, Tulio will be only 29 when the 2010 World Cup comes around, and will be at his peak for a central defender.

ends