🚨🎙️ IKER CASILLAS ON JAPAN'S GOALKEEPER ZION SUZUKI:
🗣️“I've never been wrong about a goalkeeper.
I know talent when I see one.
And when I watch Zion Suzuki, I see a goalkeeper with everything needed to become one of the best in the world.”
“This is the only young goalkeeper I look at and think could one day be worthy of succeeding Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid.
That's how highly I rate him.
He has the composure.
He has the courage.
And most importantly, he has the personality.”
“Japan lost today.
But I'm proud to say they found a gem.
Sometimes a defeat introduces a player to the world more than a victory ever could.
I think that's exactly what happened.”
“He's literally just 23...
(laughs)
Twenty-three!
When I was that age, I was still learning what it meant to be a top goalkeeper.
This boy is already playing with the maturity of someone who's been at the highest level for years.”
“What impressed me wasn't only the saves.
It was his decision-making.
His positioning.
His confidence under pressure.
Against one of the strongest attacks in international football, he never looked overwhelmed.
That's the sign of a special goalkeeper.”
“Goalkeepers are different.
You can teach technique.
You can improve distribution.
But you cannot teach personality.
Either you have it or you don't.
Zion Suzuki has it.
That's why I believe he's going far.”
“If he keeps working with the same humility and hunger, Europe will soon be talking about him as one of the elite.
And trust me...
This won't be the last time the football world hears the name Zion Suzuki.”
🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimović on Japan crashing out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their heartbreaking defeat to Brazil:
“Football can be very cruel. Today Japan leave the World Cup, but they leave with their heads held high. They pushed Brazil to the edge, made them suffer and forced one of the greatest football nations in history to fight until the very end. That’s something no one can take away from them.”
“I don’t want to hear anyone calling this a failure. Failure is not giving everything. These players gave everything. They ran, they fought, they believed and they represented their country with incredible pride. Sometimes football rewards you, sometimes it breaks your heart. Today it broke Japan’s heart.”
“I saw the tears after the final whistle, and those tears tell you everything. They cared. They believed they could make history, and for a long time they looked capable of doing exactly that. The result hurts, but the performance deserves respect from the entire football world.”
“If Japan continue producing players with this mentality, this won’t be the last time they surprise the biggest nations. They have shown courage, discipline and personality throughout this tournament. Today they lost the match, but they won the respect of millions of football fans around the world.”
{@FoxNews }