Kodai Hayashi, Deaf football – The rebellious spirit of the “first penguin” that paved the way for overseas challenges

Kodai Hayashi
Born in 1996 in Saitama. Belongs to YONO Shukonkai.

He attended Omiya Deaf Academy until middle school, and then moved to a regular school from high school to continue playing football. He entered Omiya Higashi High School and Asia University. After that, he signed an athlete contract with Mercari Co., Ltd.
Active as a semi-professional football player in Germany from graduation to 2023. After moving to Germany, he won the German Deaf Football Championships and became the first Asian player to take second place in the Deaf Champions League and was selected to the best eleven.
In 2023, he became the first runner-up in Deaf Football World Cup in Japanese history. In 2024, he won the All Japan Deaf Football Championships and shined as MVP. Japan’s athletic ace is gaining momentum as he prepares for 2025, having led his team to victory for the first time in 12 years at the Asia-Pacific Deaf Games in December.

 

Beckham is his admirer

――Please tell us how you started playing football.

I’ve been playing it for fun since I was 3 or 4 years old, but it wasn’t until the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup that I decided to take it seriously. It all started when I admired England player David Beckham. He has an attractive aura. Not only was his face cool, but so was his uniform number 7 on the back. Speaking of Beckham, his free kicks and crosses with his right foot were amazing. I’m also good at kicking with my right foot, so I feel that Beckham has had a big influence on me.

――Are there any players you’ve been looking up to lately?

It will be Junya Ito. Junya Ito, who plays for the Japanese national team, and I, who plays for the Deaf Japan national team, have the same uniform number. I’m unintentionally conscious of that player.

――What kind of play is your most distinctive feature?

The play that leads to a goal. Also, the speed of my feet and my physical strength. I think of myself as a strong and fast athlete rather than a good athlete.

――Has there been a turning point in your competitive career?

It was at the Samsung 2017 Deaflympics. This tournament made me decide to go abroad… When I thought about my football career, I thought it would be boring to play football all the time in Japan. It was really fun when I actually competed against athletes from around the world for the first time at the Deaflympics. The result was being eliminated from the preliminary round just before advancing to the top 8, but in order to overcome that barrier, I felt strongly that I had to play overseas. The number of hearing players on the Japan National Team who are active around the world is increasing. The team is getting stronger thanks to that. That’s why I decided to become the first penguin to try overseas.

22 goals and 10 assists for Germany

――After that, you moved to Germany in 2019. How did you come to that decision?

At first, of course, I thought about Italy and Spain. However, Italy emphasizes defense, so we have to listen to instructions from behind. If I can’t hear it, it will be a disadvantage for me. Spain is like Japan, with a strong team mentality. On the other hand, Germany places more emphasis on the individual playing style than the team, so I felt it would be a good fit for me. Also, there are no quotas for foreigners in Germany, so athletes from many different countries come together. The decision was made with that in mind.

――How did you select your team?

I was aiming to become a professional player in Germany, so for my first year, I prioritized teams that understood deaf people. During the entrance test, I explained to the coach and athletes what I could and couldn’t do by writing down the things I couldn’t hear in German. Everyone understood that, so it was easy to play and I was able to pass the exam without any problems. The coach was also a school teacher and had a good understanding of deaf people.

――What was your reaction to actually playing in Germany?

My first team was in the 7th division, but I injured my knee in the second league game… After that, I was unable to play for a while. While I was waiting for it to heal, I analyzed the cause of the injury and discovered that there was an issue with my physical ability. I didn’t do any exercise before, but after getting injured, I started putting more effort into muscle training. As a result of my physical training, I have been able to score or assist almost every game since my return.

――Since the second season, you have steadily stepped up, but what was your level like?

Due to the impact of Covid-19, the league games were canceled midway through the first season, and I had no choice but to return to Japan, but I returned to Germany in the summer of 2021 and joined a team in the 6th division. Although the team was relegated in the end, I played in 30 league games and achieved 22 goals and 10 assists. As a result, I was able to play for a team in the 5th division the following season. However, the level of 5th division was really high. There were representatives from the under-age generation and athletes who have played in the top league… I ended up playing in the middle a lot, but the level of the people around me was so high that I was always inspired both in practice and in the matches.

World cup runner-up = Steps to winning a gold medal

――Japan accomplished the feat of finishing as runners-up in last year’s Deaf Football World Cup. How do you feel you have made use of your own experience?

Due to the impact of Covid-19, no international competitions have been held for about five years. So half of the World Cup representatives were athletes with no experience in international tournaments. At the pre-training camp, I couldn’t show it through my play due to an injury, but I was actively disseminating information about other countries. I was disseminating information about how to play when playing against international teams. Because I was there first, Ryusei Yuno came to Germany for a short study abroad before the World Cup. He is still playing in Germany.

――How do you accept the result of being runner-up?

Honestly speaking, I was surprised. It seems like the way we fight fit perfectly. Some players were doing well, and some were not. It fit perfectly by combining the athletes who were doing well. Also, it was the first international tournament in five years, so everyone was really fired up to not feel ashamed as the uniform used was the same as that of the current Japanese national football team just after that tournament. The team’s unity among the coach, staff, and athletes was another factor that allowed us to reach the finals.

――I think you will be in a position where you will be marked by many teams at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics. What areas do you want to improve as a team?

I believe that being runner-up in the World Cup was a step toward winning the gold medal at the Deaflympics. If we had won the World Cup, we would have played under a lot of pressure. Because of our runner-up result, we had a big goal of “winning a gold medal at the Deaflympics”. In terms of improving as a team, we need to be able to play our own football without having to adapt to the opponent’s style. In the World Cup qualifying league, we were trying to adapt to the opponent’s style, and there were some things that didn’t go well. However, since entering the final tournament, the atmosphere has changed to that of playing our own style of football. That’s how we were able to advance to the finals. I believe that if we improve our skills as a team, we will be able to play attractive football and definitely win the gold medal.

 

A tournament that will decide the fate of Deaf Football

――What kind of competition is the Deaflympics for you?

I participated in the Samsung 2017 Deaflympics, and the level of the Japanese national team has definitely improved since then. It’s a tournament that happens once every four years, and I think it’s a tournament that shows our growth. It’s an opportunity for my former instructors and colleagues to watch, so I want to show them that I’m different now and that I’ve grown a lot.

――At the Samsung 2017 Deaflympics, which was a turning point for you, the Japanese national team won for the first time in history, but ended up losing in the qualifying round. What lessons did you learn?

The first match was a 2-1 win against Ukraine, and the second match against Argentina was a 0-2 draw. In the third match against Italy, they could have advanced to the finals with a draw or better, but they came from behind 2-0 and were eliminated from the preliminary round… I felt that football is not easy, and I felt like I was being told, “It’s still too early to be in the top eight”.
However, thanks to that experience, we were able to finish as runners-up in the World Cup, and it served as an opportunity for major changes in the mindset of each athlete, the association, and the world of deaf football itself.

――What are you looking forward to or excited about at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics?

I’m looking forward to playing wearing the uniform of the Japan national team, and of course I think we must win the gold medal. I also believe that this will be a tournament that will determine the future fate of Deaf Football. As a result of the World Cup runner-up result, the number of athletes playing deaf football has increased, and nearly half of the members of the current Japanese national team have changed since the World Cup. Competition is also becoming more intense. I don’t know if I’ll be able to remain as a member, so I’d like to train properly and do my best to be selected to represent Japan.

 

He was removed from the national team because he was too honest.

――Please tell us your personal side from here. What kind of child were you when you were little?

I was very rambunctious. I loved playing outside and breaking things.

――Do you have any episodes where you were rambunctious?

Oh, I guess I should say active. I got a lot of head injuries from being too active. I ran into horizontal bars, fell downstairs, and kept getting injured. My parents were the kind of people who would let me try anything, and I was pretty much left alone. Besides football, I also did swimming. I did it from before I started elementary school until I was in the 5th year, and if I had continued swimming, I might have been on the Japanese national swimming team for the Deaflympics. I really had a good record.

――Was there ever a time when you wanted to do something other than football?

I also played baseball for fun. My father also participated in the National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as “Koshien”. My university also had a strong baseball team, so I think my father wanted me to play baseball. Gloves and balls were discreetly placed as if nothing had happened… But when I actually tried it myself, I realized that I had a bad taste in baseball. At that time, I tried playing football and surprisingly, I became good at it, so my father gave up and let me concentrate on football.

――How do you analyze your own personality?

I am a genuine and sincere person. Honest in both good and bad ways. I talk without thinking. After I joined the Japanese national team for deaf football, I was removed from the team because of this… I ended up saying exactly what I was thinking, causing trouble for my teammates and coach.

――How did you change your mindset from there?

I was removed from the team just when I was determined to play for the national team, so I felt like I learned the common sense and etiquette of the adult world once again. I started to think a lot about other people’s feelings… I was really self-centered back then. I feel like the person I am today was created despite those times. I must have turned into an adult!

Feedback from his wife “You are too thoughtless”

――How do you often spend your holidays?

I often go out with my family. I am an indoor person, but my wife (Actor Eri Nagai) is an outdoor person and I go along with her. There are times when I want to rest at home, but it’s still fun and I’m grateful that she takes me out.

――When did your relationship with your wife began?

It was around the 2017 Deaflympics. We officially got married on Aug. 11, 2021. We got married on the anniversary of our relationship. Our baby was born the other day… he is so cute. It’s definitely different when you have your own child. I didn’t really have anything like that until now, but I started to take an interest in other children and thought they were really cute. I was surprised myself.

――Has anything changed since you became a father?

I gained a sense of responsibility and felt a strong sense of “I have to support my family as the breadwinner”. He’s a boy, so I’m happy and excited thinking about whether we’ll be able to play football together in the future. I will guide him well and definitely get him to start playing football.

 

――Like placing a football casually as if nothing had happened?

Yes! I’ve been giving him a football since he was born.

――It would be nice for you to continue as a football player until you can do it with your son.

I think I will continue playing football until that time, so I want to show my son the kind of play that will make him want to play football. When he grows up, I will probably send him to Germany.

――Does your wife agree with letting your child play football?

Yes. Since my wife started dating me, her knowledge of football has increased, and she is now able to watch my games and give me feedback. Sometimes I learn something and I say “I see” when she says something to me.

――What did you realize when you actually received feedback from your wife?

She told me that “I am too thoughtless”. “You can definitely catch the ball in this scene”, she said. How observant she is. Thanks to her, I was able to overcome my defensive issues.
Lately, I’ve been told, “I’d be happy if you could score more goals”. I want to score a lot of goals at next year’s Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics and make my wife happy.

Defensive midfielder with an extraordinary smile

――If you could recommend an athlete other than yourself, who would it be?

Takuya Okada and Ryusei Yuno. I have similar hobbies with Takuya Okada and we both own similar things. We also meet privately, and we get along by talking about everything from football to cars, clothes, and perfume. We have a lot in common and are good friends.
Ryusei Yuno is three years younger than me, but he has a very attractive smile. An extraordinary smile that makes the whole world smile. He is a very passionate person inside too. He is currently in Germany, so we don’t get to see each other much, but we chat on LINE almost every day.

――When did you meet Ryusei Yuno?

Ryusei Yuno started Deaf football in 2018. At that time, I just thought he was a new athlete. Then I went to Germany right away, so we never played together. However, he came to Germany for a short-term study abroad trip, and we ended up spending almost every day together. I feel like we’ve become pretty good friends because of that.
It seems like things are going really well with him lately. His position is a defensive midfielder, and it’s a difficult position for Japanese athletes playing in Germany. It’s really amazing that he can be in that position without any problems. He is an unbeatable person that can take on various positions. I hope you will watch out for him!

――Finally, please give us a message for our readers who are looking forward to the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics!

I think this will be my first and last Deaflympics held in Japan. I can take part in the Deaflympics at the best age in my competitive career. I’m really looking forward to being able to show the best of myself to the people I’ve been involved with so far. I want many people to know that deaf sports are played at the same level as people who can hear. The charm of deaf sports is that they show you performances that make you think “Are you sure you can’t hear”. I hope you will experience this at the venue and support us.
I was on the football team for three years in high school, but people didn’t understand that I couldn’t hear, so I couldn’t participate in any matches at all. That frustration is one of the reasons that made me continue playing football. Even so, I didn’t quit playing football, and I believe that I am where I am today because I overcame that regret. I want to show other deaf children who are suffering in the same way that there is a place for them to shine. I will do my best to become the dreams and hopes of the children at the Deaflympics. Let’s compete together at the J-Village!

 

Instagram：kodai.14_official
X：@hys1996k

text by Moritaka Ohashi
photographs by Uta Mukuo