Winning, for Gen Shoji, is all that matters. And as J1 League upstarts Machida Zelvia make their final preparations to enter into their first-ever AFC Champions League Elite campaign, the central defender and club captain is rolling his sleeves up, ready for the battle.

“My attitude to any competition or game is always the same,” the 32-year-old says. “Because I grew up at Kashima Antlers and, from the first year there, if you play in a competition then you want to go to the top.

“That is their philosophy and for me it has never changed. If we go to the last eight, it doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t matter. My mindset is that we want to win.”

Shoji and company may be making their first appearance in the competition when they host FC Seoul on Wednesday, but the club that was playing in Japan’s second division less than two seasons ago insist they will not be making up the numbers.

 

Instead, Machida Zelvia will be out to prove that their meteoric rise into the upper echelons of one of Asia’s most challenging professional leagues has been done on merit, and that their climb from J2 to Asia’s elite competition is not the end of the journey.

 

Built on a core of players who, like Shoji, bring considerable experience to the team, Machida are expecting to make an impact despite the absence of a track record in the competition.

“I have experience of playing in the AFC Champions League, I was a champion with Kashima Antlers in 2018 but the format is different this time,” says Shoji. “So this is the first time for me to play in the AFC Champions League Elite.

 

“This is only the club’s second season as a J1 League club and it’s a privilege for us to represent Japan in this competition. The fans and everyone are expecting us to play well.

 

“We have to be tough in this competition. We are expecting to do well, but also there is some concern because it’s our first time. We have to get used to the environment, dealing with the away games, so we have to work to become a stronger team.

 

“But because I have experience of the tournament I want to demonstrate that by playing that I have that ability. That’s the same for players who have played for the national team like Kosei Tani, Yuta Nakamura, Yuki Soma. They also have a lot of experience.”

As Shoji points out, he is no stranger to success. In 2016 he won the J1 League title with Kashima and at the end of that season he was voted onto the league’s Best XI, a personal landmark he repeated 12 months later.

In 2018 he played a central role in Kashima’s AFC Champions League-winning run as the Go Oiwa-coached side saw off the likes of Shanghai SIPG and Suwon Samsung Bluewings before defeating Iranian side Persepolis in the final.

Shoji captained Kashima in both legs of the decider and lifted the trophy, remarkably the first time the eight-times J1 League champions had been crowned the kings of Asian club football.

His performances for Kashima earned a move to Europe, transferring to French side Toulouse in January 2019 only for Shoji to return to Japan a year later, switching to Gamba Osaka before re-signing with Kashima in late 2022.

After a year in Osaka he joined Machida, then newly promoted to J1 after winning the J2 the previous season and he was instrumental in the club’s third place finish in the standings, featuring 33 times in the league for his new employers.

 

That form has continued into the 2025 season and Shoji is determined to lead by example in the AFC Champions League Elite, leaning on his previous experience.

“Usually we have to fight hard against Chinese teams or Korean teams, so we have to fight back, not get intimidated,” he says.

“We have to play aggressively against them, but also control ourselves. I want to show through my performances and actions that I can lead the team.

“Playing home-and-away (in the previous format) is very different to the new system in the AFC Champions League Elite. I watched last year’s competition and to play against this team away and that team at home is different.

“This year we have to go to Malaysia for an away game (against Johor Darul Ta’zim on September 30) and that’s interesting for the players too. This is the first time for us and we won’t know what to expect until we start. We’ll try to do our best.”

Shoji and his teammates will attempt to make an immediate impact but, even if Machida start slowly or falter along the way, the Kobe-born defender is determined to impress.

 

“As a player I have to see things in the long term,” he says. “Even if we lose the first game, we still have seven games to go. This is an individual calculation, this is my idea. Maybe other players think differently.

 

“If we lose many games in a row then we will have to change our mindset. For me, in any competition, in any game, we have to do our best to be on top. This is my philosophy. Every game is a final.”