English coaching school “TORAIZ” Interview with Daniel Schmidt

*Please be careful of flashing lights. In an interview with Sponichi Shimbun, Schmidt Daniel (32), goalkeeper for Belgian first division club Gent, who was a member of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, spoke about his thoughts on returning to the Japanese national team. He expressed his intention to play for Gent next season and set his first goal as securing a regular position at the club. The 2026 World Cup in North and Central America will be held in the United States, where his roots lie. He will use the rock bottom season, in which he had trouble transferring and lost his chance to play, to aim for the position of guardian of the Japanese national team. “It was a year where nothing went well. I don’t think I can go any lower than this.” Last summer, he sought a step up from Sint-Truiden, a Belgian first division club where he had played for four years. However, the deal to join Metz in the French first division fell through just before it was finalized. Sint-Truiden, who remained, had Suzuki Ayane join them from Urawa as their starting guardian. He lost his chance to play and spent the next six months in misery. <> During his misery, he worked on improving his language skills. Starting in October last year, he took a six-month program at the English coaching school “TORAIZ.” His parents spoke English at home, and English has been familiar to him since childhood. He rarely felt inconvenienced after moving to Belgium, but “when I was talking to players for whom English was their first language, I realized that my English skills were lacking.” He studied enthusiastically, taking three lessons a week. Schmidt said, “You need a certain level of English ability” to play overseas. The goalkeeper position in particular requires communication skills. “I can speak English more fluently now,” he said, and the results of the intensive training are reflected in his performance. Get the latest news from Sponichi Annex https://www.sponichi.co.jp/ Sponichi’s Twitter https://twitter.com/sponichiannex