The immensely talented attacker midfielder is set to move to Italian giants AC Milan in the January transfer window, which will be a significant set-up for the able playmaker.
A number of Japanese players have excelled in the Italian top flight over the years, with Hidetoshi Nakata the most high profile from the Asian nation; his days playing for Parma and Roma were particularly memorable.
Meanwhile, across town at the Rossoneri’s arch rivals Inter, Yuto Nagatomo has blossomed into a key player for the blue and black side of Milan.
Honda’s career started back in his homeland with Nagoya Grampus, while the gifted attacker also caught the eye while playing for the Japan under-23 side over the space of two years.
A move to Europe followed, with the attacking midfielder snapped up by Eredivisie side VVV Venlo in January 2008. Despite making an all-action start to his footballing life in the Netherlands, his club was relegated to the Eerste Divisie in his debut campaign.
In the second-tier of Dutch football, Honda rose to the occasion and spearheaded Venlo’s ascent back to the Eredivisie. Incredible shows of individual skill, lightning pace and 16 league goals in the 2008-09 campaign saw him awarded the Eerste Divisie Player of the Year as Venlo were crowned as champions.
Within six months back in the top flight, Honda’s ability was attracting suitors from all over Europe, but it was Russian side CSKA Moscow that won the race for the star’s hand at the start of 2010.
Over the course of his four years in eastern Europe, Honda has played his part in CSKA winning a Russian Premier League and two Russian Cups. He has linked well with another former Venlo attacker, Ahmed Musa, and is regularly on the score sheet from midfield.
A move to one of Europe’s top leagues has been on the cards for some time, with the Japan international believed to have been on the verge of signing for Lazio back in January 2012.
A move to Milan will see Honda thrown straight in at the deep end, with his acquisition a response to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza club’s mediocre start to the new campaign.
Honda will look to replicate his best form in Italy, and has an important six months ahead of him before next summer’s World Cup. The 27-year-old is a player that his nation has come to rely on, and along with Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa, have the hopes of a football-mad country on their shoulders.
The attacking midfielder has a good goal return at international level, scoring 20 goals in just over 50 caps for Japan. He played his part in an AFC Asian Cup win back in 2011 and also starred in the Confederations Cup early this year.
Honda certainly has the ability to be a star over the next 12 months, and if he can adjust to life in Italy could well be one of Milan’s saving graces this term. With a World Cup campaign on the horizon also, the star’s burgeoning reputation looks set to be tested for club and country.
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