Tsuneyasu Miyamoto captained Japan at two World Cup finals, including in 2002 when the country co-hosted with South Korea and reached the knockout stage for the first time.
Hotaru Yamaguchi has become an increasingly regular presence in the heart of Japan’s midfield as the World Cup finals draw near.
Before the team left for Brazil I spoke to the Cerezo Osaka man and his rivals for a starting berth Makoto Hasebe and Yasuhito Endo for this piece for Al Jazeera English.
