PARIS (AFP) - Japanese midfielder Daisuke Matsui is
proving a hit both on and off the field at French side Le
Mans.
Not only is the 26-year-old spearheading his team's midfield, he is
also proving a big hit at the club shop where replica shirts
bearing his name are a best-seller.
"We didn't buy him for marketing purposes but now we have had to
rethink that," a club spokesman said.
His number 22 jersey sells around 1,500 copies a year which is
twice as many as those of top scorer Tulio de Melo.
The club has also launched a website in Japanese while games
featuring Le Mans are beamed back to Japan.
Matsui is also trailed by a small club of Japanese jounalists who
have regularly reported on his matches in his four-year stay at the
mid-table club.
"They ask me about the games but also they want to know about my
daily life in France," said Matsui who is enjoying his best spell
after joining from Kyoto Purple Sanga in 2004.
Le Mans coach Rudi Garcia is a confirmed fan of Matsui.
"He is an artist with the ball," Garcia told French sports daily
L'Equipe.
"Sometimes we have to push him but he is a real creator, capable of
scoring goals and providing the decisive pass. He has remarkable
qualities and his game is all instinct.
"He has become one of the team's most important players."
Matsui says he wants to be treated the same as his teammates.
"Perhaps I can help develop sporting and cultural relations between
the two countries, but I don't feel like an ambassador," he
said.