is a Japanese

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for

Suwon Samsung Bluewings ''(The Blue, White and Reds)''Tricolor'' , short name = SSB , image = , caption = , founded = , ground = Suwon World Cup Stadium , capacity = 44,031 , owner = Cheil Worldwide(Samsung's subsidiary) , chairma ...

, as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

Club career

Kozuka was born in

Mitsuke, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,908 in 15,139 households, and a population density of 510 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the smallest city in Niigata Prefec ...

. He played junior football for Mitsuke FC and Nagaoka Junior Youth FC in the Hokushin'etsu Youth League while attending Mitsuke Minami Junior High School, before being offered a spot at Teikyo Nagaoka High School on a football scholarship. Kozuka joined

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the fir ...

as an apprentice professional in 2012. He turned full-time professional with Albirex at the start of the 2013 season and made his first-team debut against

Tokushima Vortis is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team is located in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture. Their home stadium is Naruto Otsuka Sports Park Pocari Sweat Stadium, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name, "Vortis ...

in the first round of the

Nabisco Cup The is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or (Levain is one of YB ...

. His first J. League appearance was in the 2–1 away win over Tokushima Vortis on 26 April 2014. On 8 July 2014, Kozuka joined

Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership am ...

side

Renofa Yamaguchi is a Japanese professional Association football, football club based in Yamaguchi (city), Yamaguchi, the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture. They currently play in the J2 League, the second tier of professional football in Japanese association foot ...

on loan until December. He scored his first goal for Rnofa against Sony Sendai on 2 August. He became regular for Renofa, creating a strong attacking partnership with Kazuhito Kishida. Kozuka impressed at Renofa, and his loan deal was eventually extended to the end of the 2015 season. On 6 April 2015, in the 3–0 league victory at

Fujieda is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 145,032 in 59,480 households, and a population density of 750 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Fujieda is a member of the World Health O ...

, Kozuka scored a 60-yard goal from the halfway line.

International career

In April 2012, he was selected in Japan under 18 squad for the TIPOS Slovakia Cup against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Club statistics

Honours

Club

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

References

External links

Profile at Ventforet Kofu
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozuka, Kazuki 1994 births Living people Association football people from Niigata Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players J3 League players Albirex Niigata players Renofa Yamaguchi FC players J.League U-22 Selection players Ventforet Kofu players Oita Trinita players Men's association football midfielders