Gamba's 2025 season will kick off with the "Osaka Derby". I feel very encouraged to be playing right from the get-go at a packed Panasonic Stadium Suita.
Personally, I remember the disappointment of our complete defeat away from home more than last year's "Osaka Derby" victory at home, and I have not forgotten the expressions on the faces of the supporters at that time. Of course, I also remember the time I spent in the locker room after the game with my teammates feeling extremely frustrated.
I am very excited that we have finally had a chance to erase that humiliation, but at the same time, I am prepared for it to be a difficult match because I know how difficult the "Osaka Derby" is. That is why I would like to ask for the support of all of you involved with Gamba, including our fans and supporters. Let's all unite and face the challenge together and win!

From the first day of practice until the opening day, we have been preparing to perform to the best of our ability in the match. In the process, I feel encouraged by the fact that not only Takashi (Usami), Shin (Shinnosuke NAKATANI), and Alano (Fan), who led the team last season, but also mid-level players such as Keisuke (Kurokawa), Tokuma (Suzuki), and Riku (Handa), are encouraging the team with their strong determination to "change this team." This change in their mindset has inspired the team and led to raising the team's standards.
Also, as a team, we started to lose points when we started to lose awareness of the high line and high pressure that we had been thorough in the early games of last year, so we have reflected on this and continued to try to push firmly into the opponent's territory and connect it to attacks. Considering the difficulty of the "opening game", we may not be able to do all of these things smoothly, but we would like to have a season in which we can use our aims and strengths to win points as we play more games.

Today's opponent, Cerezo Osaka, has changed the Head Coach and the members from last season. To be honest, there are many things we don't know yet about the type of football they will play. That's why we need to stay focused for the first 15 minutes and fight with the same mindset and perspective as the players. Also, Dani (Head Coach Poyatos) is now in his third year of football, and he has certainly gained more ways to play, so I want to fight while taking into consideration the judgment of when and at what timing the team and individuals should use those techniques. Please support us.