Many were surprised when Japan triumphed in Group E in Qatar, defeating former world champions Germany and Spain in the process.
The Samurai Blue were defeated 3-2 by Belgium in the round of 16 in the 2018 tournament despite having taken a two-goal lead.
Four years later, Nagatomo, who participated in the match in Rostov, believes that the difficulty of overcoming that setback will only make the Japan team the "strongest" in World Cup history.
Naturally, I've never forgotten [the Belgium defeat], said Nagatomo to the media. It never left me, and occasionally I suddenly recall details from that game. My focus over the previous four years has been solely on the World Cup in Qatar, but we have overcome those difficult four years, and I believe we have both emotionally and physically matured. Since 2008, I've been taking part in the World Cup process for nearly 15 years, but from what I can tell, this team is the best Japan has ever sent to the World Cup.
I'm excited to shout "bravo" aloud when we defeat Croatia and take in the new surroundings.
When Hajime Moriyasu's team defeated Germany and Spain 2-1 after coming back from a goal down, Nagatomo revealed where part of their confidence may have originated from.
"Couragio" means "courage" in Italian, so before the Germany game, I shook hands with each player and we all said "couragio," according to the former Inter player.
"I believe that every player is displaying this "couragio" play, sometimes on the pitch and other times on the bench, but both areas have a positive energy. I genuinely sense that we are one nation, and this is what makes Japan strong. We are, in my opinion, the World Cup team that is the most cohesive. They are motivated enough that I don't need to say "couragio" anymore, and tomorrow we will undoubtedly present a play that is filled with great passion. We'll triumph. As I previously stated, we utilise the analogy of the samurai. Before a battle, they sharpen their weapons and develop their fighting skills, but if they are terrified while fighting, they will not be able to use them effectively. The same holds true for football. Of course, tactics are crucial, but no matter how much we refine them, they are meaningless if we are afraid when we are on the field. The first thing we require is guts if we are to fully utilise all of the strategies we have discussed over the past four years. We want to demonstrate tomorrow just how valiantly we are battling.
Nagatomo responded, "Yes, of course I am the one who naturally talks about the samurais quite frequently. We want to engage in samurai-style combat because they are well-known throughout the world. I believe this is a fantastic chance to demonstrate our samurai-style fighting skills.
Zlatko Dalic, the head coach of Croatia, also made reference to the "samurai philosophy," but insisted that his team would be prepared after helping Belgium defeat Japan's 2018 adversaries in the group stage.
Respecting opponents is quite important, in my opinion, according to Dalic. "They demonstrated their mental fortitude and talent by defeating two World Cup champions.
"I told my team, 'Never underestimate,'" I remarked. We'll play our part, and they'll incorporate samurai philosophy into their strategy. We are familiar with who, what, and how they think. We must adopt the same mentality. We must strive to be the best team possible, never undervalue anyone, and treat everyone with the utmost respect.