At 23, Keisuke Honda has already established himself as one of Japan’s best players. He currently plays for CSKA Moscow and is a goal-scoring midfielder who can also fill in at full back.

 

Honda played for Nagoya Grampus 8 in his homeland whilst still a student and went on to represent the club in almost a century of matches before moving to Europe and the Dutch Eredivisie. VVV-Venlo gave Honda a two and a half-year contract and he rewarded them with 24 goals from midfield in under 70 matches. He attracted interest from other clubs both in Holland and England but it was in December 2009 that he moved to Russia.

His international debut came in 2008 against Bahrain with his first goal for his country a year later. Honda can shoot from distance and is always a danger from dead ball situations as he showed most recently for his new club in the UEFA Champions League against Seville.

Japan find themselves in a tough group in the World Cup but with Honda’s knowledge of Dutch football, their particular match could provide the possibility of a shock. A goal every three games from Honda show he means business in international football.