Inspired by Japan's sensational run to the final of the Women's World Cup, highly rated teenage striker Takashi Usami on Thursday left Japan to join Bayern Munich on loan hoping to make a similar impact in Germany.
"Seeing (Japan's women) getting to the top at an international tournament makes me feel like I want to try even harder," said Usami, who scored in his final game for Gamba Osaka on Wednesday.
The loan period is six months but 19-year-old Usami is hoping to make the move to the 22-time German champions permanent.
"I think if I keep trying hard every day then my chance will come but first I have to show what I am capable and try and catch the eye," said Usami, who is hiring a home tutor to get him up to speed with the language in Germany.
"I have to get accustomed to everything as quickly as I can so hopefully people will at least get a feeling of what kind of person I am when I speak," he said.