๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ . Content writer and ghostwriter for luxury brands. Traveler exploring the whole world, one culture at a time.
The Twitter timeline changes so fast. You like a few posts and then everything about a certain topic disappears and gets replaced by the ones you just engaged with.
Emily Dickinson never published in her lifetime, barely left her house, and wrote nearly 1,800 poems in secret. She was the original person who never posted but had an insane drafts folder. The greatest lurker in literary history.
Scotland fans have donated nearly $30,000 to charities in Providence as a thank you for welcoming them for their World Cup matches.
โข $10,000 to the children's hospital cancer unit
โข $10,000 to soccer for underprivileged kids
โข $6,500 to help kids learn bagpipes
We were delighted to present Gilbert Martina, the President of the Curaรงao Football Federation, the certificate for the smallest country by population to qualify for the FIFA World Cup - 156,115 people ๐จ๐ผ
Marcelo Bielsa refused to do any acting during the official World Cup photoshoot.
The Uruguayan ๐บ๐พ coach has repeatedly denounced the tournament in the United States, criticizing its commercial and political excesses.
Everyone has been so impressed by Japanese fans cleaning up after themselves but most probably missed this beautiful moment at the post-game (๐ณ๐ฑ2 - 2๐ฏ๐ต) press conference.
Toward the end after reporters were done asking questions, ๐ฏ๐ตhead coach, Hajime Moriyasu, asked to speak one more time.
๐ฃ๏ธ โMay I speak?โ
He turned to the Dutch reporters in the room.
๐ฃ๏ธ โI think there are many Dutch reporters here as well, so Iโd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people of the Netherlands once again.โ
Moriyasu explained that when he became part of the Japan national team, Japanese football still had no professional league.
๐ฃ๏ธ โI was trained by a Dutch coach named Hans Ooft. It wasnโt just me. Japanese coaches in general were greatly influenced by him, which has led to the development of Japanese soccer today.โ
He also mentioned another Dutch figure who shaped his career.
๐ฃ๏ธ โThe legendary Dutch coach Wim Jansen served as the manager for J.Leagueโs Sanfrecce Hiroshima and also as a coach for Urawa Reds, contributing to Japanese soccer.โ
๐ฃ๏ธ โItโs not just those two. Many other coaches and players have contributed to raising the level of Japanese soccer, so I want to express my thanks. Thank you very much.โ
What a masterclass in graciousness and gratitude. Imagine after a high-stakes match, instead of basking in glory and bravado (well-deserved in my opinion), the coach took to the microphone to... thank his opponents publicly and sincerely.
Japan's cultural operating system prizes harmony (wa), respect for precedent, and gratitude as a form of strength, not weakness. Japanese sports culture reflects its broader society where you'll see athletes bow to their opponents, thanking referees, and even crediting rivals or mentors.
Think of sumo wrestlers, Olympic athletes, or even bullet-train staff apologizing for a 30-second delay.
The Japanese have this concept of On (ๆฉ) - it is the sense of indebtedness to those who came before or helped you. It's what you'd expect from a culture that truly prizes continuity.
Moriyasu was acknowledging a real debt to Dutch coaches like Hans Ooft (who coached Japan in the early 90s and helped professionalize the game) and Wim Jansen. Japanese football openly credits foreign influences - Dutch "Total Football" philosophy, German organization, Brazilian flair - while building something distinctly their own. Few nations do this with such little ego.
Japan is pure class
๐จ๐ป๐ข Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha: "I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago. My mum could not be here either for a VISA issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time." (@TheAthleticFC)