Shinji Quizzed By Fans

Shinji Kagawa recently answered questions posted by followers of United's official English and Japanese Twitter pages...

What kind of music do you listen to in the build-up to games? @macho0711
I listen to Japanese pop music to relax and stay calm. Depending on my mood, I’ll listen to either high-tempo or slow music. Exile are my favourite group. Though they are big in Japan, they aren’t very well known elsewhere in the world, but I like them and they keep me in good spirits. Music is important to me.

Have you become a better player since joining United? @tomorroworld
Yes, you can’t help but improve here. There are lots of experienced players in this team; they have taught me a lot and every day I pick up new skills from them. Not many Japanese or even Asian players have benefitted from playing at such a big club, so I think I’m very fortunate to be in this position. It makes me happy and proud.

Who is your best friend at the club? @pradipmufc
Alex Büttner lives quite close to me and we joined the club at the same time; I’ve been pretty close to him ever since. Alex played with Japanese players at his last club [Vitesse Arnhem], so he knows and understands the language reasonably well. That allowed me to be even more comfortable with him.

If you weren’t a footballer, what would you be? @DarylG7
It’d have to be another sport, I think. I’ve played various sports since an early age and always enjoyed them, so maybe I could have been a professional in another discipline, though I’m not sure which one!

Who was your favourite player growing up and why? @EP2511
As a child I was a big fan of the J-League but didn’t idolise any particular players. There was no European football on TV at the time so I did not know much about the wider game. But when I became conscious about playing abroad, I started watching more matches from around the world. When I was at Dortmund, Andres Iniesta was my favourite player.

This interview first appeared in the Everton edition of United Review.