Now who for J.League MVP?
December 5, 2007: The shock defeat of Urawa Reds and incredible championship success of Kashima Antlers threw everything into confusion regarding the J.League MVP for 2007.
Even though there are some outstanding individual players around the league, I believe the MVP should always come from the championship-winning team.
Had Reds hung on, then Robson Ponte would have been a strong contender, as would Keita Suzuki and Yuki Abe. Who knows, come the official awards night on December 17, one of these players may well win it.
But my choice would come from Kashima, and again I have narrowed it down to three candidates.
The first would be Marquinhos, a J.League journeyman who has had a fantastic season in his own right and in his work for the team by leading a frequently young and inexperienced forward line. He has quick feet to take him past defenders and has scored some spectacular goals.
The second candidate would be Mitsuo Ogasawara. Yes, I know he played only half a season after returning to the club from Italy, but would Antlers have won the championship without him? Would they have matured and developed so much as a team and won nine straight games without the contribution and the influence of Ogasawara?
The answer to both questions would surely be "no", but this does not mean I would choose Ogasawara as MVP for the season.
Which brings us round to the third candidate, and the player who would get my vote. It is Daiki Iwamasa.
The big centre half is my type of player -- a tough competitor who leads by example and plays with all his heart. In other words he is a natural successor to Antlers legend Akita -- who has announced his retirement at Kyoto this season but whose spirit lives on at Kashima in the form of Iwamasa.
There is no bigger compliment to Iwamasa than that, and I think he has typified the fighting qualities of Antlers this season and their determination to keep going in difficult times.
Both Nakazawa and Tulio have won the award in recent seasons, proving that defenders are rightly recognised, too. Iwamasa would be my choice this time.
ends
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