{"id":11200,"date":"2026-07-31T11:27:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T11:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/?page_id=11200"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:37:54","slug":"imacollector-in-depth-features","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/","title":{"rendered":"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"11200\" class=\"elementor elementor-11200 elementor-11199\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae18d96 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ae18d96\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f698fa1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"f698fa1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0686092 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0686092\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e6b90f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4e6b90f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d0c5c4a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d0c5c4a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a0d3e6 elementor-hidden-desktop elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1a0d3e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"165\" src=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-10395\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp 1000w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445-300x50.webp 300w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445-768x127.webp 768w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445-440x73.webp 440w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445-680x112.webp 680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad47573 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ad47573\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Latest articles<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b1faac elementor-widget rivax-post-kenzo-widget\" data-id=\"1b1faac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"rivax-post-kenzo.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"rivax-posts-container\">\r\n    <div class=\"rivax-posts-wrapper layout-grid\">\r\n                <div class=\"post-item\">\r\n    <article class=\"post-wrapper term-id-187 has-animation\">\r\n        <a class=\"item-link rivax-position-cover\" aria-label=\"Item Link\" href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/memory-legacy\/in-depth-japanese-football-before-captain-tsubasa-why-the-sport-struggled-to-win-over-japan\/\"><\/a>        <div class=\"image-wrapper\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-960x560.jpg\" class=\"attachment-rivax-large size-rivax-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Cover of the manga Akakichi no Eleven illustrating the history of Japanese football before the success of Captain Tsubasa.\" title=\"[In-depth ] Japanese football before Captain Tsubasa: why the sport struggled to win over Japan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-960x560.jpg 960w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-440x257.jpg 440w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><div class=\"image-animation\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-960x560.jpg\" class=\"attachment-rivax-large size-rivax-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Cover of the manga Akakichi no Eleven illustrating the history of Japanese football before the success of Captain Tsubasa.\" title=\"[In-depth ] Japanese football before Captain Tsubasa: why the sport struggled to win over Japan\" srcset=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-960x560.jpg 960w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-440x257.jpg 440w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part1-avant-captain-tsubasa-cover.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/div>        <\/div>\r\n\t            <div class=\"content-wrapper rivax-position-bottom style-1\">\r\n            <div class=\"content-wrapper-inner\">\r\n\t            <div class=\"terms-wrapper\"><a class=\"term-item term-id-187\" href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/category\/memory-legacy\/\"><span>Memory &amp; legacy<\/span><\/a><\/div>                        <h2 class=\"title\">       \r\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/memory-legacy\/in-depth-japanese-football-before-captain-tsubasa-why-the-sport-struggled-to-win-over-japan\/\" class=\"title-animation-underline\" title=\"[In-depth ] Japanese football before Captain Tsubasa: why the sport struggled to win over Japan\">\r\n            [In-depth ] Japanese football before Captain Tsubasa: why the sport struggled to win over Japan        <\/a>\r\n        <\/h2>\r\n        \t                            <div class=\"meta-wrapper\">\r\n\t                                                                                                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n                    <\/article>\r\n<\/div><div class=\"post-item\">\r\n    <article class=\"post-wrapper term-id-187 has-animation\">\r\n        <a class=\"item-link rivax-position-cover\" aria-label=\"Item Link\" href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/memory-legacy\/in-depth-why-captain-tsubasa-changed-the-way-japan-saw-football\/\"><\/a>        <div class=\"image-wrapper\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-960x560.jpg\" class=\"attachment-rivax-large size-rivax-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"A young Tsubasa Ozora with the ball at his feet in a Captain Tsubasa illustration by Yoichi Takahashi.\" title=\"[in-depth] Why Captain Tsubasa changed the way Japan saw football\" srcset=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-960x560.jpg 960w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-440x257.jpg 440w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><div class=\"image-animation\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-960x560.jpg\" class=\"attachment-rivax-large size-rivax-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"A young Tsubasa Ozora with the ball at his feet in a Captain Tsubasa illustration by Yoichi Takahashi.\" title=\"[in-depth] Why Captain Tsubasa changed the way Japan saw football\" srcset=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-960x560.jpg 960w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-440x257.jpg 440w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/imacollector-football-part2-captain-tsubasa-football-japonais-cover-OK.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/div>        <\/div>\r\n\t            <div class=\"content-wrapper rivax-position-bottom style-1\">\r\n            <div class=\"content-wrapper-inner\">\r\n\t            <div class=\"terms-wrapper\"><a class=\"term-item term-id-187\" href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/category\/memory-legacy\/\"><span>Memory &amp; legacy<\/span><\/a><\/div>                        <h2 class=\"title\">       \r\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/memory-legacy\/in-depth-why-captain-tsubasa-changed-the-way-japan-saw-football\/\" class=\"title-animation-underline\" title=\"[in-depth] Why Captain Tsubasa changed the way Japan saw football\">\r\n            [in-depth] Why Captain Tsubasa changed the way Japan saw football        <\/a>\r\n        <\/h2>\r\n        \t                            <div class=\"meta-wrapper\">\r\n\t                                                                                                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n                    <\/article>\r\n<\/div>            <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"rivax-sticky-column elementor-element elementor-element-1945419 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1945419\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-639811c e-con-full card-layout-w e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"639811c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b64bf7 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7b64bf7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">This eight-part in-depth feature traces the development of football in Japan and explores how manga and anime contributed to its growing popularity.<\/p><p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">From Japan\u2019s earliest football teams to the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympic Games, and from the creation of the Japan Soccer League to the birth of the J.League, this in-depth feature revisits the key milestones that turned Japan into a genuine football nation.<\/p><p>I also examine how works such as Captain Tsubasa, Whistle!, Giant Killing and Blue Lock helped shape this collective imagination. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c565f9 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"6c565f9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecb759c elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"ecb759c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cd8b61 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5cd8b61\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b4f7be elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5b4f7be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">More in-depth features coming soon<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a964e49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a964e49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">More in-depth features will gradually be added to this section.<\/p><p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">They will focus on major works of Japanese pop culture such as Attack on Titan and Dragon Ball, exploring their history, influences, representations and the social questions they raise.<\/p><p>Each in-depth feature will bring together several complementary articles, moving beyond a straightforward analysis of a single series to explore its relationship with its era, collective memory and the way we understand the world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation Latest articles M\u00e9moire &amp; h\u00e9ritage [dossier] Le football japonais avant Captain Tsubasa : pourquoi le ballon rond peinait \u00e0 s\u00e9duire le Japon M\u00e9moire &amp; h\u00e9ritage [dossier] Pourquoi Captain Tsubasa a chang\u00e9 le regard des Japonais sur le football This eight-part in-depth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"series":[],"artiste":[],"porteur_de_licence":[],"editeur_fabricant":[],"class_list":["post-11200","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"imacollector\u00ae\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/imacollectorr\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-31T13:37:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"165\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/\",\"name\":\"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30586416_7697445.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-31T11:27:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-31T13:37:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30586416_7697445.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30586416_7697445.webp\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/imacollector-in-depth-features\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/archives-and-analysis-of-japanese-pop-culture-anime-video-games-figures-2\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"imacollector\u00ae\",\"description\":\"From collection to heritage: guardian of popular culture memory -\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"imacollector\u00ae\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/logo-imacollector-blog-small-light-vecto.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/logo-imacollector-blog-small-light-vecto.png\",\"width\":708,\"height\":180,\"caption\":\"imacollector\u00ae\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/im-a-collector.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/imacollectorr\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/ima_collector\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@im_a_collector\",\"https:\\\/\\\/tiktok.com\\\/@imacollector\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae","description":"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae","og_description":"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.","og_url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/","og_site_name":"imacollector\u00ae","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/imacollectorr","article_modified_time":"2026-07-31T13:37:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":165,"url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/","url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/","name":"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation - imacollector\u00ae","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-31T11:27:24+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-31T13:37:54+00:00","description":"From Captain Tsubasa to Blue Lock, discover how manga, anime and professional football helped shape the rise of Japanese football.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30586416_7697445.webp"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/imacollector-in-depth-features\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/archives-and-analysis-of-japanese-pop-culture-anime-video-games-figures-2\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Captain Tsubasa\u2019s dream to Blue Lock\u2019s ambition: how Japan became a football nation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/","name":"imacollector\u00ae","description":"From collection to heritage: guardian of popular culture memory -","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#organization","name":"imacollector\u00ae","url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/logo-imacollector-blog-small-light-vecto.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/logo-imacollector-blog-small-light-vecto.png","width":708,"height":180,"caption":"imacollector\u00ae"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/imacollectorr","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ima_collector\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@im_a_collector","https:\/\/tiktok.com\/@imacollector"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11200"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11222,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11200\/revisions\/11222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=11200"},{"taxonomy":"artiste","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artiste?post=11200"},{"taxonomy":"porteur_de_licence","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/porteur_de_licence?post=11200"},{"taxonomy":"editeur_fabricant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/im-a-collector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editeur_fabricant?post=11200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}