Under the bright lights of Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in September, 20-year-old Anrie Chase raced on to the pitch to take his position in Stuttgart’s defense as a second-half substitute.
As the Japan under-23 international made his UEFA Champions League debut — against the competition’s 15-time champions, no less — it marked another milestone in Chase’s barely believable soccer journey in 2024.
Just three years ago, Chase was still playing for Shoshi High School in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture; now he has played in the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League for Stuttgart. His career is accelerating so fast that some things simply pass Chase by.
