Japanese goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt faces formidable challenges at the soccer World Cup in Qatar, both from world-class opponents and teammates who want his place on the pitch.
Within his own squad there is a battle for the No. 1 status, with the U.S.-born 30-year-old vying for the starting spot with J-League-based teammate Shuichi Gonda and former long-time incumbent Eiji Kawashima.
Schmidt is a possible starter in Japan's first match against Germany due to his imposing physical tools and current form but until the lineup is announced Monday, only manager Hajime Moriyasu knows.
A clean sheet in September's friendly against Ecuador, which featured a few key stops and a penalty save, puts him in good stead to add to his 11 national team caps.
If Schmidt is picked for Wednesday's game against four-time World Cup winners Germany, he will have to stare down a man many put in the top-tier of keepers -- Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer.
Then, against Costa Rica, Paris St-Germain stopper Keylor Navas will be looking to lead the Central Americans on an unlikely run in Qatar. Finally, against Spain, Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon, if selected from the three solid candidates, is no pushover.
"Of course, I think I can learn a lot from them, from playing against them and hopefully I can swap and take their shirts to take them back home," said Schmidt when asked about the prospect of facing a star-studded crop of goalkeepers in Group E.
Schmidt is no stranger to top-level competition, though, having faced Belgium's best since moving to Sint-Truiden in mid-2019, but his words demonstrate that he remains humble.
"Really, I think it is a good opportunity to learn from (the other goalkeepers) and improve myself and if I can play in the game I think it is the best moment of my career," he said following a training session in Doha on Saturday.
"It is so exciting and is like one of my childhood dreams for me so it is so...it is so high tension."
Sint-Truiden have never challenged for European competition in Schmidt's time there, with last year's ninth being the best league finish he has been involved in. So the former Velgata Sendai stopper is ready to lean on some of his more experienced teammates against Germany.
"I think it will help, some guys understand the German mentality and they can tell us how they play or what is their mentality and mindset," he said.
"They can tell us, and they can help us and we can use it in the game."
