SHIMIZU, Shizuoka Pref. -- It's an image that sticks very firmly in the mind. Sixty seconds into a crucial game against the Yokohama F. Marinos, a brilliant 60-meter pass out of defense by Kazuyuki Toda catches a flurry of dreadlocks on the run.
In a flash, the owner of the dreadlocks flies down the wing, completely humiliates the Marinos right back, steams into the penalty area and unleashes a left-footed slice of Brazilian banana that is just a blur to the 'keeper and rips into the netting just inside the far post.
It was not an ordinary goal and the owner of the dreadlocks, Shimizu S-Pulse forward Alex, is not an ordinary J. League player. That brilliant goal helped Shimizu clinch the second-stage title last year and confirmed Alex as a star on the Japanese soccer scene.