そりゃ2年前からのベストパートナーがいなくなって悲しむでしょう

2025年03月08日 11時31分　
カテゴリ： ★無料記事 • ショートコメント
タグ : Jリーグ • pickup • ミッチェル・デューク • 町田ゼルビア

3月5日、町田のエリキが神戸に期限付き移籍することが発表されました。

エリキはまだ町田がJ2で昇格レースを争っていた2023年8月、左膝前十字靭帯断裂、外側半月板損傷、内側側副靱帯損傷という重症を負い、そこから長いリハビリがスタートしました。

それまで30試合に出場し18ゴールを挙げていたストライカーを「町田の太陽」と呼ぶ人もいたほどでした。2024年には復帰したものの、出場は28試合884分、平均1試合31分程度のプレーに留まっていました。

今シーズンは合流が遅れ合宿に参加できず、そうなると今後も出番が激減するのは間違いなく、それでも高額選手を遊ばせるわけにもいかなかったときに、FWの拡充を狙いたかった神戸と思惑が一致したということになるのだと思います。

で、2023年にエリキと絶妙のコンビを組んで10ゴールを挙げていたミッチェル・デュークはどんな心境なのだろうと、話を聞いてきました。あえてここは原文で掲載します。

Yeah I think it’s unfortunate the situation, hasn’t been in the plans for this year and I think if it wasn’t for me and Eric being a good partnership in J2, we wouldn’t be in J1 without him.

So he’s going to be missed but I wish him all the best.

Football is sometimes tough but he’s an amazing player, a good person and I know he’s going to do amazing at his new club.

ここで通訳さんがいらっしゃったので、もう一度最初からお願いしました。

I love playing with him to be honest and I think if it wasn’t for our combination in J2, we wouldn’t be in J1 right now.

So he’s going to be missed but he’s an amazing player, a good person and sometimes this happens in football. So he needs to change his situation to play more minutes and show himself again. And I wish him all the best.

These things happen in football where if you’re not playing and you’re not in the plans then you need to try and find somewhere else that’s going to play you more and, and show yourself again like me and Eric didn’t play too much last year and same again this year so you needed to change your situation.

Only briefly when he was close to maybe going or staying he was telling me just to be prepared and I wished him all the best.

And of course he needs to change his situation because he’s too good of a player to not be playing football at his age and at this level he needs to keep playing regular minutes.But even he said like he’s going to miss our combination play.

I think we just as a striker sometimes you can be selfish but me and Eric together we wanted each other to score and assist each other. So I think to have that support and someone wanted to do amazing also it created a good atmosphere between us.

Now I remember when me and Eric were playing together everyone was saying how good of a combination. We were even saying that we were in J2 but we were J1 quality combination in the J2 and which is what helped I think Machida get to promotion.

You never know what can happen in football. I hope I get to play with Eric again and create more combinations in the future.

Well I’m not playing much either. So see what you never know what can happen.

で、この後に

Are you moving to Kobe also?

と聞いたら、大笑いしながら

No!

と答えてくれました。