Troussier during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan on 25/5/2010. Photo: Reuters

Japan once sought Arsene Wenger. Unable to accept the offer, the "French Professor" politely suggested Philippe Troussier. In many ways, Troussier mirrored Wenger: both French, slender, bespectacled, and possessing an academic demeanor. He had navigated France's lower leagues and spent many years working in Africa.

Initially, the Japan Football Association (JFA) viewed Troussier as a temporary stand-in while awaiting Wenger. However, Wenger never arrived, and Troussier stayed, transforming the landscape of football in the Land of the Rising Sun. The "Blue Samurai's" confidence against European giants – exemplified by their victory over England at Wembley in an early April 2026 friendly, and a draw with the Netherlands in the past World Cup 2026 group stage – was initially built by Troussier.

The 71-year-old former coach arrived in the East Asian nation in 1998 with the mission of preparing for the 2002 World Cup, which Japan co-hosted with South Korea. His four-year legacy became the foundation for their current standing.

When Troussier took charge, he confronted a footballing culture confined by outdated mindsets. The Japanese national team was not only disorganized but also constrained by the country's rigid societal norms.

The team's brightest star then was Hidetoshi Nakata, who had just joined Perugia in Serie A. On the training ground and in the locker room, teammates still timidly addressed him as "Nakata-san", with "san" being an honorific suffix. This habit even extended to official matches, with elaborate honorifics and formal sentence structures. Everything was dictated by hierarchy.

"All my initial drills revolved around communication", Troussier recounted to the British newspaper The Times. "I had a squad where players only knew how to say they were happy. Even shouting 'run' on the field was a barrier for them. I had to explain that we didn't have time to address 'Nakata-san' every time we needed him to pass the ball."

"Every time I wanted to give young players a chance, a wave of opposition arose", Troussier recalled. "It felt like every door was closed. I had to design specific drills that forced players to practice giving commands, to learn how to say 'yes' or 'no' to the ball. Then, I had to convince the entire country that I had no intention of opposing Japanese culture."

However, Troussier did not stop there. After a humiliating defeat at the Copa America 1999 (a tournament Japan participated in as a guest), he decisively removed the generation of veteran players, took over the under-23 team, and quickly promoted young talents to the national squad. He called this "guerrilla tactics" to instigate a cultural shift within the team.

After a training trip to Burkina Faso, Troussier made his players cram into "bush taxis" – cheap, often overloaded public transport in Africa – to travel to a match in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, aiming to build resilience. But the trip to Lebanon for the Asian Cup marked a turning point.

"We played Qatar in the group stage", Troussier remembered. "Two days before the match, I gave the players a night off. Normally, they would go to a familiar Chinese or Japanese restaurant. But this time, I told them to go wherever they wanted. Immediately after, I returned to the hotel, ordered all internal restaurants to close, and forbade players from using the team bus. I asked the reception to direct them to local neighborhoods. I wanted them to experience Beirut for themselves. To find their own food, to move freely, to wander the streets, not as a collective, but as independent individuals."

"A few players refused to leave the hotel because they only brought team uniforms or sportswear", Troussier continued. "But eventually, I forced everyone out, dividing them into groups of two or three to take taxis or public buses. That night, everyone returned with their own experiences. It gave them an opportunity to mature as individuals. They had a new adventure, a new story. That experience broadened their horizons and instilled new vitality into their character. From that point on, the players performed with greater fluidity and confidence."

Troussier (second from left) during a Japan national team training session at Sendai, Japan on 17/6/2002. Photo: AFP

Another important chapter in this journey was a crushing 0-5 defeat to reigning world champions France in Paris. Returning from the loss, Troussier immediately had his players practice fouling on the training ground. This decision once again met with public outrage in the Land of the Rising Sun.

"The players had surrendered even before the kickoff whistle", Troussier recounted the match in Paris. "Throughout that week, they behaved rigidly, like timid guests at a formal dinner party. They couldn't adapt to the external environment and couldn't relax; they looked small and scared on a large football field."

"Psychologically, they over-revered their opponents; they lost without any resistance", Troussier stated coolly and without regret. "I had to eradicate the inferiority complex that made them timid against major teams. On the training ground, I made them practice pulling shirts, colliding with elbows, shoulders, and rough sliding tackles. Players who usually avoided contact were forced to adapt to the harsh reality. I didn't want to see my players mercilessly trampled by opponents."

That was a quarter-century ago. However, the Japan the world sees today – playing on equal terms against the Netherlands, unfazed even without stars like Wataru Endo or Kaoru Mitoma – is the fruitful outcome of the foundation Troussier built.

Philippe Troussier (center) in the technical area after the Japan-Russia match at the 2002 World Cup in Yokohama International on 9/6/2002. Photo: AFP

The French strategist not only changed Japanese football; he changed an entire ideology. At the end of his tenure, the JFA presented him with a renowned 1955 Chateau Petrus wine. To this day, the bottle remains unopened in his cellar. Troussier shared that he views it as a trophy for the high mountain he successfully conquered.

Living in Japan in 2002 felt like being in London during the birth of Punk Rock. Troussier's squad not only exceeded all professional expectations at that World Cup, defeating Russia and Tunisia, drawing Belgium, topping Group H, and only exiting in the first knockout round to Turkey by a minimal score. They also became a symbol of youth rebellion. Players dyed their hair vibrant colors and dressed unconventionally, starkly different from previous generations, causing conservative Japanese society at the time to raise eyebrows at the wave of liberation they sparked.

In Osaka, 900 people, mostly students, plunged into the Dotonbori River from a bridge to celebrate the victory over Tunisia. More than 5,000 people traveled to the team's media center in Shizuoka just to catch a glimpse of the players on an open day. Another 46,000 spectators witnessed the final match against Turkey in Rifu, lingering in the stadium, chanting "Allez Nippon" (Go Japan) before leaving.

Beyond these soaring emotions and cultural shifts lay a meticulously planned strategy. Troussier may have been the first to unlock the potential of Japan's new generation of talent, but after initial skepticism, the country's football administrators fully embraced and developed his ideas.

The Japanese national team gathers in a circle around coach Hajime Moriyasu after the Tunisia match in the group stage of the World Cup 2026 at Monterrey, Mexico on 21/6. Photo: Reuters

Japan's substantial financial resources were channeled into youth training systems. Pop culture elements, such as the Captain Tsubasa manga series, also significantly contributed to popularizing the beautiful game in schools. Anime stories celebrating courage, determination, ambition, and teamwork were perfectly applied to football.

Japan is on track with their plan to win the World Cup by 2050; Hajime Moriyasu's team even aims to win the championship as early as summer 2026. Stability has been maintained under the 57-year-old coach (at this World Cup, only Didier Deschamps had a longer tenure than him). The JFA's only regret is yet to break the Round of 16 curse, despite achieving significant victories against major teams like Cameroon, Denmark, Colombia, Spain, and Germany in major tournaments.

At 71 years old, though Troussier now dedicates most of his time to winemaking, old habits die hard. "Technically and tactically, Japan has reached the level of top teams. However, when confronting Europe's elite, technical quality alone is insufficient. For instance, the second half against the Netherlands demonstrated that when Japan is ready to respond with physicality and speed, they can compete on equal terms with any opponent. Their modern football identity is based on ball control, tactical organization, and technical quality. The next step involves further enhancing their physical and mental attributes when facing major teams", Troussier commented on Moriyasu's team.

Hoang Thong (according to The Times)