After his successful J.League debut at Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Thai midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin has his sights set on an even better finish for his club in the 2018 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season.
An interview with the 24-year-old was featured on the back page of the daily sports paper Sponichi, a rare accomplishment for a foreign player in Japan.
“I didn’t think I would be able to play so quickly,” Chanathip said of his impressive half-season with Consadole. “I trained a lot and gradually adjusted. I was a bit uneasy when I saw the speed of the game from the bench, but when I came on I realized it wasn’t as hard as I’d imagined and gained confidence.
“I wasn’t the only thing that kept us from being relegated, but I’m just glad I was able to help.”
Chanathip, who named teammates Shinji Ono, Junichi Inamoto, and Takuma Arano as some of his closest friends in the squad, was not reluctant to set high expectations for his second J1 campaign.
“I want to score a goal and I’m confident I can do so,” Football Tribe’s Top SEA Player of 2017 said. “As a team we want to finish in the top half of the, and I think we can reach fourth or fifth place. (Just above that is) a spot in the AFC Champions League so we want to finish as high as possible.”
The J1’s first Thai player was reluctant to comment on incoming manager Mihailo Petrovic, whose hiring was announced following the end of the season.
“I know about his time at Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Urawa Reds that he likes attacking football,” Chanathip said. “I’d rather take the time to express my gratitude (former manager) Shuhei Yomoda, as it was thanks to him that I could play so well last season.”
Asked about his private life, Chanathip dished on his love of Starbucks (“I’ve been warned to watch my BMI”) as well as his relationship with Thai actress Pitchanart “May” Sakakorn, whom he said he hoped to marry in 2018.
