Ao Tanaka’s influence on the football scene in Japan grew exponentially when he joined Leeds United, so much so that the Whites now have an army of fans in the country.
This will only grow now that their superstar is playing in the Premier League. His name is beloved none more so than in his birthplace of Kawasaki City.
In fact, Tanaka has been chosen to be the face of its mayoral election next month, in a bid to encourage voters to cast their ballot. The official graphics show a photograph of him in various poses with the catchphrase of ‘Do everything you can with all your might!’ written below.
The full poster including Ao Tanaka
The full poster including Ao Tanaka (Image: Kawasaki City Election Commission Secretariat)
Explaining Tanaka’s appearance, a spokesperson for the Kawasaki City Election Commission Secretariat said: "Tanaka, who was born in Kawasaki City, grew up dedicated solely to Kawasaki, and is now active as a professional soccer player on the world stage.
“[He] is a teammate that people living in Kawasaki have supported since long ago, widely supported by people of all generations, and respected, so we selected him as the main character."
Joe Rodon's Wales withdrawal
Joe Rodon has withdrawn from the Wales squad for their upcoming internationals with an undisclosed issue. The centre-back was initially called up for tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan ahead of the home friendly against Canada on Tuesday.
However, his national team confirmed on Wednesday morning that he had departed camp. Leeds Live understands that his problem is not expected to cause him to miss Leeds United’s trip to Fulham in the first game back after the break, on Saturday, September 13.
It’s unclear whether he has the potential to rejoin the Welsh squad for Tuesday’s match but he will definitely sit out the clash with Kazakhstan. Rodon has started all three of United’s Premier League games so far.
A few snapshots
Meanwhile, there have been a number of little updates that might have been easily missed. The first is Junior Firpo sharing his new tattoo, having had ‘LS11’ - Elland Road’s postcode - inked onto his wrist.
Keeping with the theme of artwork, Andy McVeigh - known as the 'Burley Banksy' - has revealed his latest public design. In a nod to Ethan Ampadu and in memory of the day of the bus parade, McVeigh has painted a traffic cone onto roadside electrics box, along with the date.
This, of course, is in reference to the well-oiled captain’s decision to put a cone over his head at one point during the parade. “A little memento of a great day,” the artist wrote.
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