On Monday, Makoto Hasebe began his new position as assistant coach of Eintracht Frankfurt U21s. After the first week of training at the Ahorn Camp Sportpark in Dreieich, the 40-year-old will make his debut on the touchline this Saturday when his Regionalliga side make the trip to FC 08 Villingen.
The next step in this new stage in his career will follow soon after, with the Japan Football Association (JFA) inviting Hasebe – a former international with 114 caps to his name – to work alongside head coach Hajime Moriyasu during the next international break, which will see the start of the third stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Eintracht Frankfurt were delighted to accept the JFA’s request, with Alexander Richter, director of the academy, saying: “This invitation is not just genuine recognition for Makoto but also an amazing opportunity for him to gain more experience as a coach in an accelerated way, which he will then be able to apply on a daily basis in his work with our U21 team. We made the decision after direct consultation with the coaching staff, and we are also in constant contact with the Japanese FA to give Makoto more opportunities like this one in the future.”
