Germany striker Lukas Podolski is targeting an AFC Champions League berth after joining Japanese side Vissel Kobe from Galatasaray.
“I don’t feel any pressure because I have had pressure since I started playing football,” said Podolski, as quoted by Reuters at a news conference in Kobe on Thursday.
“It is not a problem, it is a big challenge for me. I don’t play in Europe, I play now in the J.League and Asia, so it is a big move, of course, but I have a target,” the 2014 World Cup winner added.
“The first target is to fight for the first three places (in the J.League) to qualify for the Champions League.”
Podolski has joined J1-League from Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray in March on a deal estimated to be worth $5.3 million. He is the highest-profile J-League import since Uruguay striker Diego Forlan.