When the players arrived, younger students who couldn't participate in the exchange came out to greet them.
The gymnasium, where the exchange took place, was decorated for the two players. Many portraits were also posted, with messages for the players written on them.
When players Kanazaki and Ito appeared in the gymnasium, the children cheered loudly and welcomed them with a special arch.
In the demonstration after the players' self-introductions, Ito showcased his juggling skills. The children's excitement grew as he performed impressive tricks and exchanged passes with Kanazaki using their feet and heads.
During the ball passing game with the children, most of the children barely touched the ball.
After the demonstration, the children played tag with tails. First, they played with the boys, and Ito was thoroughly guarded by the children. Kanazaki, who was running around, had his tail snatched in no time.
Even in the match against the girls, Ito was protected. He questioned, "What's it like to be protected by girls?" and then sprang out himself.
Next was a hula hoop competition. Kanazaki could only spin it 2-3 times and was eliminated quickly. Ito quickly got the hang of it and competed with the children, but the children showed no signs of dropping it, and after two matches, the children won.
The third event was the water strider race. Players moved backward using their hands and feet while lifting their hips off the ground. Leveraging their physical prowess as professional soccer players, the team with Kanazaki and Ito took a significant lead.
The final event was a kick target game. They competed by hitting cones with the ball. First, the children competed. Then it was Kanazaki vs. Ito, but neither of them could hit the target. After kicking several balls, Ito was the first to hit it.
Kanazaki was completely defeated, but an announcement from the children said, "Please keep kicking, Kanazaki, until you hit it!" Then, he successfully hit it on his first shot.
The exchange time passed quickly. Antlers presented colored paper and pennants, and the players wrote messages to the children on their portraits.
Just when we thought the exchange would end with a commemorative photo, there was a small surprise.
Since there was more time than planned, a sudden Q&A session with the players was arranged. When asked about their admired players, Kanazaki answered Ogasawara, and Ito answered Uchida. When asked who they would like to switch places with on the team, both players answered Uchida. Kanazaki explained his reason was because he is cool.
The surprise ended, and after receiving words of gratitude from the children, the exchange concluded. As the players left, the children formed a "flower path" for them. Also, outside, the middle school students saw them off.
