From football to Padel, the ‘father’ of Captain Tsubasa speaks: “A wonderful sport. I could make a manga about it”

NAGOYA, Japan – Anyone who grew up dreaming of chasing a football, perhaps across endless football pitches, knows him well: Yoichi Takahashi is the man who made generations fall in love with football by creating a legend – Captain Tsubasa – that turned a sport into a global cultural phenomenon. Today, the legendary manga artist is at the Asian Games in Japan, this time to follow the Padel tournament at close quarters, another sport he has grown passionate about over the past years. It was love at first sight, leading him to take on an official role with the Japan Padel Association, of which he is honorary president, and even to imagine a new creative project.

 

“When I started playing Padel, I discovered the sense of connection that this sport creates,” Takahashi explains, caught between the queues for autographs and selfies. “You have to use your head a lot to play, and I really liked that.” After discovering Padel in Spain, Takahashi continued to play regularly at home, experiencing its rapid spread at close quarters; its debut as a medal sport at the Asian Games – following its appearances at the Mediterranean Games and South American Games – is simply the latest step in a journey that excites him. “I would never have imagined it before, but because I travel a lot, I can now see that it is becoming increasingly popular everywhere in the world. It’s wonderful.”

 

His experience at the crossroads of sport and culture then leads him to another reflection: just as Captain Tsubasa helped turn football into a cultural phenomenon, Padel could follow a similar path. “Manga, anime and films about Padel would be a way to promote it and bring it to many more people.” So the inevitable question follows: could he be the one to do it? “I’m continuing with Captain Tsubasa, so we’ll see if it will be possible. But I would like to.” In the meantime, Takahashi imagines a crossover between Padel and his most famous manga: “I have no doubt that, among all the characters, the strongest at playing Padel would be Tsubasa alongside his eternal partner Misaki.” The conversation then turns to shots: could some Padel strokes become Captain Tsubasa speciality? “The shot where you leave the court with a spectacular point would be a great possibility.” And as for a special shot, “I’d say some kind of twin shot, where you hit the ball together. It would be a real manga shot,” he concludes with a smile.