A lovely little anecdote came out of Japan the other day, just in time for the international break.
With current world news being more depressing than uplifting, and bad people lurking at every turn, everyone could use a feel-good story. Thankfully, one just came out of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Japanese national coach Hajime Moriyasu is one of the most successful coaches in his country’s history. His track record includes an Asian Cup final appearance, an E-1 East Asian Championship win, and most notably, two memorable wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But it turns out that he’s not just a good coach, he also seems to be a good person.
The other day, Moriyasu was driving on a highway when he caused a very, very minor accident. It was so minor that the driver of the truck he bumped into didn’t even know he did. No one was hurt in the incident. Nevertheless, Moriyasu captured all the details of the truck in his black box, reported himself to the police, and personally apologized to the truck driver, who was probably more bewildered than anything else, after tracking him down.
But Maverick, you messenger of model citizens and more, I hear you say, what’s so great about that? One could argue that Moriyasu just did what he was supposed to do. But the fact that he still did the right thing in a situation that he could have easily gotten away with under the radar, and many might have actually done so, deserves a lot of respect in this writer’s opinion. The fact that he sought out the driver to deliver an apology in person makes it even better, and says a lot about Moriyasu’s integrity. Sometimes, it is the small gestures that can restore one’s hope in humanity, especially in the current world order.
While this writer’s roots will prevent him from ever rooting for Japan in an international fixture, he nonetheless respects Moriyasu as a coach and a person. Japan’s players, including Bayern Munich’s Hiroki Ito, are lucky to have him as a coach, and the Japanese people are lucky to have someone in a popular social status worth looking up to.
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