is a Japanese nationalized

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian football player. He plays for Deportivo Municipal. His preferred position is as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Career

On 13 September 2006, he became the first Japanese goalscorer in Copa Sudamericana, scoring 1 goal for

Coronel Bolognesi Coronel Bolognesi Fútbol Club is a Peruvian football club located in the city of Tacna. Originally founded on 18 October 1929, It was named after Francisco Bolognesi. Years later, a second branch of the club called Club Sport Bolito, was founded ...

against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an club

Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...

. After impressive performances for

and Deportivo Municipal, he was offered to play for Peru national team. But he refused the offer because he did not want to lose Japanese nationality.RPP Noticias - Masakatsu Sawa asegura que le ofrecieron jugar en la selección peruana
In July 2008, he joined Japanese club

Kashiwa Reysol is a Japanese professional football club based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium ...

, located near his hometown, Moriya across the prefectural line. Sawa was a

player in the 2018 season but did never play a game for the club due to injuries. The club then announced on 11 January 2019, that the player had left the club by mutual consent.

Club statistics

''Updated to 22 February 2018''.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"J1&J2選手名鑑 2013 (NSK MOOK)"
14 February 2013, Japan, (p. 53 out of 266)

¹Includes FIFA Club World Cup and

Japanese Super Cup The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-match association football competition in Japan organised by J. League and the Japan Football Association (JFA). This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the r ...

References

External links

* *
Profile at Kashiwa Reysol
* 1983 births Living people Association football people from Ibaraki Prefecture Japanese footballers Japanese expatriate footballers J1 League players J2 League players Peruvian Segunda División players Peruvian Primera División players Sporting Cristal footballers Coronel Bolognesi footballers Deportivo Municipal footballers Cienciano footballers Kashiwa Reysol players Unión Huaral footballers Expatriate footballers in Peru Association football midfielders {{Japan-footy-midfielder-1980s-stub