After a less than impressive first season in Serie A with AC Milan, Japanese international Keisuke Honda has finally hit a rich vein of form.
The 28 year-old was brought into the club on a free transfer in January and seemed to struggle with the pace of Italian football, scoring just twice in 16 competitive appearances. Playing in an unfamiliar role on the right wing, Honda was expected to inject creativity into the Rossoneri attack but only managed two assists in Serie A.
Six matches into the 2014-15 season and Honda already has four goals and two assists.
There are a number of reasons that explain his improved fortunes in the red and black jersey. First and foremost is his adaptation to Serie A. Where once he looked isolated and incapable of keeping pace with the game, Honda now looks comparatively in charge, dictating the tempo to suit his style of play and reading the opposing side’s tactics.
This has been made all the more easy with a better grasp of the Italian language.
Japanese footballers are still a rarity in Europe’s top leagues and, unlike his international teammate Yuto Nagatomo, Honda has been thrown in immediately at the deep end with top flight Italian football. The hype surrounding his arrival in Milan has largely been fabricated by club vice-president, Adriano Galliani, placing a great deal of pressure on Honda’s shoulders and intensifying media attention. With these factors in mind, it’s impressive to see Honda settling in less than a year since arriving.
His new found confidence has coincided with his impact for his national team. Despite competition from Shinji Kagawa for the limelight, Honda is still very much the focal point for the Samurai Blue. This year alone he has made nine appearances for his country and scored three times, including the first goal of their disappointing 2010 World Cup campaign. His precision passing, excellent interchange with his teammates and deadly accuracy from free kicks make him arguably Japan’s most valuable asset.
Still followed by millions of Japanese fans, Honda is also one of the most marketable football figures in Asia. Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport recently claimed Milan have made appoximately €5 million from the sale of Honda shirts and other such memorabilia.
Many fans knew prior to his arrival from CSKA Moscow in January that this was as much a marketing ploy as anything else, particularly when he was handed the number ten jersey by Galliani. A saturation of media coverage followed and the San Siro welcomed more and more Japanese fans. It would be very hard to say objectively that bringing Honda to Milan had nothing to do with expanding their fan base in Asia.
However, despite these purely economic reasons, Milan have made an excellent signing. A different sort of player to those that have graced the San Siro in the past, Honda has the potential of making a lasting impression both in Milan and in Italy.
Although he is unlikely to set any records with his club, he has time left in his career to become the greatest Japanese player in Serie A history. He has begun to exert a confidence that has made him such a threat from set-pieces, which bodes well for coach Filippo Inzaghi. The former Milan legend is looking for a player to step up and provide the necessary drive in the final third and so far Honda has answered his call.
We await the results of this season and will continue to question whether Keisuke Honda is truly the saviour of AC Milan.
Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156
