is a former

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player.

Club career

Iio was born in Ninohe on February 23, 1982. He joined

Verdy Kawasaki is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of football in the country. Founded as Yomiuri F.C. in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most decorated clubs in the J.League, with ...

(later ''Tokyo Verdy'') from youth team in 1999. In 2000, he played many matches as forward. Iio made a name for himself when he scored Verdy's first goal in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the

2004 Emperor's Cup The 84th Emperor's Cup Statistics of Emperor's Cup in the 2004 season. Overview It was contested by 80 teams, and Tokyo Verdy won the cup for the fifth time. Results 1st Round *Hiroshima University of Economics 4–0 Sanyo Electric Tokushima * ...

. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for Verdy over

Júbilo Iwata is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...

Kazuki Hiramoto is a former Japanese football player. Club career Hiramoto was born in Hachioji on 18 August 1981. He joined the Verdy Kawasaki (later ''Tokyo Verdy'') youth team in 1999. He became a regular player in 2002. However he lost an opportunity to p ...

netted Verdy's second, whilst Norihiro Nishi provided Júbilo's consolation. It was the first time Verdy had won the

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...

since 1996. Upon Iio's transfer to

Avispa Fukuoka is a Japanese professional football club, currently competing in the J1 League. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish. They were originally called Fujieda Blux and based in Fujieda, Shizuoka before moving t ...

in 2006, he received a relatively high squad number of 34. Despite this, he quickly established himself as a first-choice striker. During the 2006 season, Avispa would usually play with two men up front, with Iio on the left, and

Takanori Nunobe is a former Japanese football player and manager. Playing career Nunobe was born in Takatsuki on September 23, 1973. After dropped out from Kindai University in 1993, he joined Verdy Kawasaki in 1995. He played as forward from first season an ...

to his right. Iio's first J1 League appearance for Avispa came against

FC Tokyo Football Club Tokyo, commonly known as , is a Japanese professional football club based in Chōfu, Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team is one of only four in the J.League to be si ...

on 19 July 2006, when he came on as an 84th-minute substitute for fellow striker Mitsunori Yabuta. This game was held at the

Hakatanomori Football Stadium (official name: Higashi-Hirao Park Hakatanomori Football Stadium (東平尾公園博多の森球技場), renamed on March 1, 2008 for naming rights), is located in the Hakata Ward of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the home ground of ...

, and ended in a goalless draw. Iio would not have to wait long for his first Avispa goal however, as just 10 days later, on the 29 July 2006 contest between

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to st ...

and Avispa, Iio netted a goal in a match that eventually ended in a 2-2 draw. Following Avispa's relegation, Iio returned to Verdy for the start of the 2007 season. Iio would appear regularly for Verdy in this campaign, occasionally even appearing as a right-winger in Verdy's midfield. He finished the campaign with 19 games, scoring 2 goals. He moved to

Yokohama FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the first tier of football in the country. The club was formed by fans of Yokoh ...

in 2014. However he could hardly play in the match and he left the club end of 2015 season.

National team career

Iio has represented Japan U-20 national team, but has yet to be given a full international cap. Iio was selected for the 2001 World Youth Championship, along with his strike partner at

Tokyo Verdy is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of football in the country. Founded as Yomiuri F.C. in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most decorated clubs in the J.League, with ...

. At this tournament, he played all 3 matches.

Club statistics

Tokyo Verdy
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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iio, Kazunori 1982 births Living people Association football people from Iwate Prefecture Japanese men's footballers Japan men's youth international footballers J1 League players J2 League players Tokyo Verdy players Kawasaki Frontale players Avispa Fukuoka players Yokohama FC players Men's association football midfielders