Japan leaves touching thank you note and a spotless locker room after World Cup loss
If the World Cup was determined strictly on the basis of sportsmanship, Japan's team would win this thing no question.
Sadly, though, that's not how it goes -- as Japan knows all too well. Their mens team lost Monday's knock-out round contest to Belgium at almost the last possible moment, after holding a two-goal lead.
That didn't stop them from performing the ultimate class act, though. After warming the world's hearts by remaining on the pitch to give thanks to their dedicated fan base despite the agonizing loss, Team Japan took things next level as evidenced by the below photo, reportedly shared by a FIFA official.
You May Also Like
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
That's Japan's locker room and, yes, it's spotless. Just as their fans hung back after matches to clean stadiums, Team Japan cleaned up their locker room too.
And that note, left by the team, reads "Thank you" in Russian.
If only the rest of the world could take a note from Japan's World Cup contingent, than maybe the world would be a brighter, friendlier, and cleaner place.
Good on you, lads.
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
