Ichika Egashira, from Japan to River: the Japanese Messi fan who will play in the women’s team

The Japanese footballer Ichika Egashira continues to revolutionize Argentine women’s football, in this case with her arrival River Plate. After his first experience in the national team, he plays in Hikers During 2023, the Japanese joins one of the most important teams in the championship. And not only that, the arrival of coach Ignacio Lacal at the helm of the first team was confirmed, following the departure of coach Daniela Díaz.

This Tuesday, the official website of instagram of the club made its formation official, welcoming him to a country where he set foot for the first time at the beginning of 2023, to play for the nearby Bajo Belgrano team. in 2023. There they also introduced the new coach, who is a “partner and fan of River”, through a video.

The curiosity is that Ichika and Ignacio already know each other. Lacal had the opportunity to lead the Japanese to an exceptional 2023 championship and now they will share a new cycle in one of the most important clubs in the championship.

Egashira is the first Japanese player in Argentine football, and she convinced the fans from the first moment by showing her qualities on the pitch. Their presence in the country brought many people to attend the women’s tournament.

Her transfer to Núñez’s club is no coincidence, given that the millionaire environment had the player in their portfolio and knew of her desire to wear the red and white shirt. When she said goodbye to “Excursio”, the striker had already given indications about her future: “See you soon in Argentina”, he wrote on Instagram.

An admirer of Messi and in love with football since she was 9 years old, her qualities have attracted attention since her debut in Excursionistas, coincidentally against River. The “Villeras”, as they call the girls at the club, failed to accumulate too many points but achieved their best season in recent years to escape the feared possibility of relegation.

Born in Koka, a small town located 400 kilometers from Tokyo, Ichika demonstrated her adaptation to Argentina from the first minute. It didn’t take her long to enter the vertigo of competition and the friction of the local league, and with that she won the affection of the people of Bajo Belgrano.

Deeply immersed in the folklore of Argentine football, one of her pearls in the 2023 season was when she played the classic between Excursionistas and Defensores de Belgrano, and celebrated the 1-0 victory with a message with a scoreboard code: ” The classics are won” The rivalry in the neighborhood was hot throughout the year: the Dragon descended through the General Table.

The Japanese woman has never hesitated to express her feelings to the Argentine public, as a thank you for the good treatment she has received since her arrival.

Now, the 21-year-old will make her first time at River, where she will have Ignacio Lacal as her coach, who will help her feel even more at home. The coach arrives with his assistant on the field, Cristian Kolisek. Núñez’s great challenge is to grow, improve and try to bridge the historical gap with Boca, the most successful club in the discipline.