Tribute to Masato Kudo

Welcome back to our sports news blog. Chris Farnell is a sports lawyer from IPS Law. He has been involved in major clubs including Charlton and represented top players in the league and other sports also including boxing. Today, we pay tribute to the passing of a great footballer from Japan.

Major League Soccer is a men’s professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport’s highest level in the United States. The league comprises 28 teams, 25 of which are in the U.S. and 3 in Canada, and is ever expanding.

Former Japanese international and MLS soccer player Masato Kudo has died at the tragically early age of 32. Japanese football club Tegevajaro Miyazaki, 13th in the league, has announced the death of it’s striker Masato Kudo.

“From his achievements in the J1 to being selected for the Samurai Blue, Kudo was an incredibly accomplished player. But in spite of that he was never arrogant and cherished his teammates, the club and our supporters. He personified our club slogan, ‘shinshi’ (sincere). For that sort of player to leave us so soon is sad and unfortunate, ” the club’s president, Keita Nimura ​said.

Kudo, a former Japanese International and MLS soccer player, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus — a build up of fluid in the ventricles of the brain. He was hospitalized on October 3rd after falling ill the day before. The league confirmed his sad passing with a tweet:

“Along with the entire Japanese football community, we mourn the passing of Masato Kudo and wish to express our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends,” the Japanese league tweet said.

While playing for Kashiwa Reysol at the start of his career, Kudo became the club’s leading scorer in the top division of Japanese football and won Japan’s three major club titles. Read more sports news and like the Chris Farnell IPS Law Facebook page. You can also keep on top of the latest news from the world of sport on the Chris Farnell Charlton Twitter profile.