Japan coach Zico said he wants the whole world to see Mitsuo Ogasawara's stunning goal after the pint-sized midfielder sealed a 2-0 victory over Finland on Saturday with a shot that would have made David Beckham proud.
Japan coach Zico passes the ball during the national team's training camp in Shizuoka.
Ogasawara evoked memories of the long-range strike that thrust England captain Beckham into the limelight a decade ago when he beat a red-faced Mikko Kaven from fully 60 meters at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa.
"I haven't even scored a goal like that myself," joked former Brazil legend Zico, who knows a thing or two about scoring spectacular goals.
"More than that, though, it was a goal for everyone to see. I remember Pele trying it in 1970, I remember Maradona trying it at the Maracana but don't really remember anyone scoring from that distance," he said.
"It was a moment of brilliance. I hope that it will be shown on television over and over again all over the world to show that we have that sort of imaginative player in Japan."
"I did in fact tell him that European keepers do tend to come off their line but he had the ability to spot the movement and I am absolutely delighted he did it."
Ogasawara, whose goal was his seventh for Japan, joked that he didn't mean to go for goal and had never seen Beckham's famous effort for Manchester United against Wimbledon during the 1996-1997 season.
"I miss-hit it and I don't know anything about Beckham's goal! No but seriously, Zico told me the keeper would come off his line a lot and just give it a try," Ogasawara said.