8 Daisuke Matsui
Daisuke Matsui began playing football at Kagoshima Commercial High School before signing a professional contract with Kyoto Purple Sanga in 2000. After four seasons he moved on to Le Mans and then Saint Etienne, before finally joining Grenoble in 2009.
Matsui made his international debut in 2003 in the Confederations Cup clash against Columbia. He scored his first international goal three months later against Angola, and was also part of the squad for the 2004 Olympics.
The midfielder sat out the 2006 World Cup, but he returned to action in 2007 and was an integral part of Japan’s qualification for the 2010 World Cup, playing in 17 matches in 2009.
