BioHe didnt get the name "King of Tokyo" by just turning up for the coronation. Wagner Perreira Cardozo, better known to J.League fans as Amaral, reigned for the better part of two decades as the most dedicated and fan-pleasing Brazilian player ever to grace the green expanses of Japan's football history. Amaral arrived in Japan before the J.League even existed, signed a contract for Tokyo Gas, and then devoted himself to carrying that team through three leagues and 12 seasons of glory. Along the way he managed to hit the net an amazing 199 times. The numbers simply enhance the legend that this quiet yet ferociously competitive man built for himself in Japan. Amaral finally left FC Tokyo in 2004, for a downhill run through the J2 and JFL, as the years finally began to take their toll. Yet even today -- decades after he left the club -- fans of FC Tokyo still hang a huge banner behind the goal of Tokyo Stadium declaring the place "King Amaral Stadium". In 2008, when Amaral finally hung up his cleats awnd bid goodbye to competitive football, the J.League named him an official goodwill ambassador, and the offers for public appearances and semi-official coaching or advisory duties poured in from dozens of clubs. Perhaps he never gained quite the sort of mainstream stardom that another Brazilian long-timer, Ruy Ramos, achieved. However, in the hearts of FC Tokyo fans, Amaral will always be The King. |
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