Under the bright lights of Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in September, 20-year-old Anrie Chase raced on to the pitch to take his position in Stuttgart’s defense as a second-half substitute.
As the Japan under-23 international made his UEFA Champions League debut — against the competition’s 15-time champions, no less — it marked another milestone in Chase’s barely believable soccer journey in 2024.
Just three years ago, Chase was still playing for Shoshi High School in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture; now he has played in the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League for Stuttgart. His career is accelerating so fast that some things simply pass Chase by.
Like changing the profile icon on his Google account.
His picture is still of ex-Real Madrid and Brazil star Marcelo, the marauding left-back whose distinctive hairstyle led to a 12-year-old Chase being nicknamed after him.
“Everybody called me ‘Marcelo’ after I moved back to Japan when I was 12,” Chase said with a smile during an interview. “That’s probably about the time I was setting up the email account and I have never gotten around to changing it!”
Having recently become a regular in Stuttgart’s first team, Chase now has plenty more photos to choose from. His Champions League debut came in front of 71,000 fans in Madrid in the same stadium where Marcelo made his name. While many would be nervous at such a career-defining moment, the young defender insists he felt unfazed by the occasion.
“Literally a few months ago, I was watching Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich (in the 2023-24 Champions league semifinal) on TV with my dad,” recalled Chase, who was born in Japan but spent a significant part of his childhood in the United States.
“During the warm up (of the September match), I saw all these players I've been looking at since I was in high school — guys I have dreamed of playing against like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. I knew I was a substitute but just prayed I wouldn’t leave the Bernabeu without playing against them.
“When the coach (Sebastian Hoeness) called my name I just felt ready. No nerves, just a feeling that I wanted to play my best and that I deserved to be there. They are opponents, not heroes, when you are out there playing on the pitch.”
Chase came face to face with Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. in a Champions League baptism by fire, but just five minutes after coming on as a substitute, he was celebrating as Stuttgart equalised through Denis Undav.
Eventually, however, late goals from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick denied Chase and his teammates what would have been a valuable draw.
“It didn’t feel real at times,” Chase recalled. "Most people don’t get the chance to ever play against Real Madrid in the Champions League in their life so to do it already is hard to put into words.
“I just want to show the world that I can stop these players, that I can compete with them. On TV, you see how fast they are but when you actually get on the pitch, it's a whole different level of speed and skill.
“In some ways it was an overwhelming occasion but I really gained confidence from the experience — I know what I have to do to get better but it feels to me like it is a reachable level.”
Chase has “levelled up” considerably in recent years. Born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, to a Japanese mother and an American father, he spent nine years in Texas between the ages of 3 and 12 — with soccer barely registering on his radar during that time.
“My parents tell me that I always had energy so they had to do something to get me moving,” Chase recalled. “I did basketball, swimming, piano. I played a little bit of soccer but it was nothing organized with a club or anything — just with friends at the park.” On his return to Japan, Chase finally found “the beautiful game” — though he felt a long way short of the standard of peers, most of whom had been playing their whole lives.
“It was a tough time — everyone’s technique was so much better than mine. I was strong and I was fast so all I wanted to do was dribble with the ball. I had no technical understanding; my footwork was bad. I started training on my own all the time just to try to get up to their level.” His natural athleticism helped him make it onto the team at Nagasawa Junior High School but so alien was the sport to the family that Chase’s father — a fan of the Miami Heat and New Orleans Saints — is still familiarizing himself with the nuances of soccer and names of its stars today.
Chase worked hard to improve his technique and as his 18th birthday approached it became clear that he had the talent to at least knock on the door of professional soccer. With the guidance of his parents, Chase made the brave decision to travel to Europe for trials, rather than joining an academy with a J. League club.
“I knew I wasn't ready to play in the J.League and it is a lot harder for young guys to come through in Japan. I didn’t want to wait around and I also didn’t want the distractions of friends in Japan so I felt Europe would be the best move for me — to focus fully on football.” Dutch sides Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were among those circling Chase but in the end he impressed by 2007 Bundesliga champions Stuttgart during a trial at the club. The promising teenager was convinced to move to Germany because of the prospect of playing regular soccer for Stuttgart’s second team.
His efforts began to pay off quickly as Chase became a regular in Stuttgart’s second team. Then, in January of this year he caught the attention of Stuttgart’s first-team head coach Hoeness.
After being promoted to the senior squad during the summer, Chase was handed his Bundesliga debut against Freiburg in August. He then played the entirety of the next three matches as Stuttgart drew with Mainz and beat Borussia Monchengladbach in the league, and demolished Preussen Munster in the German Cup.
“It’s definitely more nerve-wracking playing at home because you really want to do your best for the Stuttgart fans,” Chase says. “Those are the games when you are just really hoping you get through without making a mistake because you don’t want to let the fans down.
“Obviously I’ve been here for a few years and I’ve seen how crazy these fans are since I arrived in Stuttgart when I was 18. Now when you are on the bus arriving at the stadium and you see just a sea of red and white marching down the road — it really gives you an extra something. It’s the difference.”
Chase has represented Japan at the under-20 and under-23 level, most recently playing all three group games for Japan at the 2023 U20 World Cup in Argentina. Chase said that he has had no firm contact from the senior team yet, but the call is likely to come soon if he continues on the same trajectory.
For now, Chase is simply hoping to feature as regularly as possible for Stuttgart in German and European competitions. He has played three more Champions League games since making his debut against Real Madrid, and scored his first senior goal for Stuttgart in December's German Cup victory over Jahn Regensburg.
The Japanese defender has also featured in 12 of Stuttgart’s 15 Bundesliga matches in 2024-25.
“My goal is to just get better every single day and learn from my teammates,” Chase explained. “Belief is so important in football — the mental side of the game is everything.
“When I came here, I never had the confidence at all that I would play in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Not at all. If you told me I’d play against Real Madrid aged 20, I’d think you were crazy.
“But now that I’m here I just want more.”
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