Takuma Asano was named the Best Young Player of the 2015 J. League season. It may not be long before he becomes the best player in the league, period.
To a hero's welcome of 500 fans at Haneda international airport, Asano and his Japan teammates came home shortly before midnight Sunday from Doha, where Asano helped his side to the Asian Under-23 Championship with a pair of goals in the final against South Korea the evening before.
Asano came off the bench midway through the second half with Japan down 2-0, cutting into South Korea's lead with his first goal. After Shinya Yajima equalized, Asano capped his brace in the dying minutes to win it for Makoto Teguramori's men, who will head to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as Asian champions.