Saitama: Robson Ponte has recalled the “special” moment of winning the AFC Champions League in front of the Urawa Red Diamonds supporters a decade ago and urged the current generation to repeat that feat in the second leg of the final against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal on Saturday.
Ponte was a key member of the Urawa side that won the competition for the first and, to date, only time in 2007.
The Brazilian will be back at Saitama Stadium this weekend to watch the J.League side try to follow up a commendable 1-1 draw in the first leg in Riyadh with a performance to crown them continental champions.
It was another Brazilian, Rafael Silva, who opened the scoring in Saudi Arabia, although Omar Khribin’s equaliser means Urawa returned home with the same scoreline as 10 years ago, when Ponte’s goal helped the team draw 1-1 with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan before claiming a 2-0 victory at home in what remains the finest night in the club’s history.
Ponte scores as Urawa and Sepahan draw 1-1.
“To become champions in front of these fans, who love the club and the players, is a special moment and I have to say that the supporters are simply wonderful,” said Ponte, who now works as a technical administrator for Portuguese Premeira Liga side Portimonense.
“I have been following games online and the second leg of the semi-final against Shanghai, at Saitama Stadium, I was very happy with. I will be there with them on the 25th to support the team and hopefully watch our club win another title.
“Urawa are always strong and you can never doubt the Reds, regardless of the situation. We all know the fans make a huge difference by helping the team from the first minute to the last."
After playing out the first few years of his career in his homeland, Ponte, now 41, spent six seasons in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg before signing for Urawa in 2005.
It was in East Asia that the Sao Paulo native enjoyed the most fruitful years of his career, winning the J.League title in 2006 and two Emperor’s Cups prior to helping Urawa become kings of the continent.
In addition to his goal in Iran, the Brazilian playmaker also netted away at Korea Republic’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the first leg of the semi-finals.
He then scored again from the spot in the return fixture after the tie ultimately went to penalties – a shootout that saw one of Urawa’s modern-day players, Yuki Abe, also find the back of the net.
Abe (left) and Ponte (right) celebrate Urawa’s second goal in the 2007 AFC Champions League final.
“Abe is hugely important within the club and an example of a professional and great player who helped make history, so he is an Urawa legend,” noted Ponte.
“His experience, having already won the AFC Champions League, can really help the younger players.
“But players like Yosuke Kashiwagi, Rafael Silva, Mauricio Antonio and Tomoaki Makino are also very important to the stability of the team.”
Urawa defeat Sepahan 2-0 in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final.
The current crop of players are the first to steer Urawa to the latter stages on the continent since 2008, when Ponte and co. were eliminated in the semi-finals by fellow Japanese side and eventual winners Gamba Osaka.
Domestically, the club have failed to emulate the success of the mid-2000s, with a number of near misses – J.League runners-up in 2014 and 2016 and Emperor’s Cup runners-up in 2015 – seeing the Reds fall agonisingly short.
But Takafumi Hori’s side now have a chance on the biggest stage of all to write their names into the Urawa history books alongside a generation of players who became Japan’s first AFC Champions League winners.
“The two teams are very different and the players have different qualities,” said Ponte when asked to compare the sides.
“The important thing is to understand that this shirt has a great history and whoever has the opportunity to wear it has to be a warrior with the spirit of victory.
“My five and a half years at the club were fantastic and Urawa is in my heart as family. I’ll always love the club and its fans.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com