is a Japanese professional football coach and former player who is the manager of club

Shimizu S-Pulse is a professional Japanese football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J2 League (J2). The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League (''"Original Ten"''), which began ...

Club career

Akiba was born in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

on October 13, 1975. After graduating from high school, he joined his local club

JEF United Ichihara , full name and also known as , is a Japanese professional football club that plays in the J2 League. On 1 February 2005, the club changed its name from ''JEF United Ichihara'' to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as ...

in 1994. He played many matches as defensive midfielder in 1995. However his opportunity to play decreased for injury in 1996. Although he moved 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 ...

(1997) and

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka. ...

(1998), he could hardly play in the match. He moved to

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

club

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 ...

in 1999. He played as regular player and the club was promoted to

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 ...

end of 2003 season. However his opportunity to play decreased in 2004 season and he moved to

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 2005. He played many matches and he moved to

Thespa Kusatsu is a professional football (soccer) club based in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture in Japan. The club plays in the J2 League, the second division of professional football in Japan. History The club was founded in 1995 in Kusatsu, one of the most w ...

in September 2006. He played until 2008. He moved to

SC Sagamihara is a Japanese association football club based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. They currently play in the third tier of Japanese football J3 League. History In 2011 they joined Division 2 of the Kanto Regional League after three years of con ...

in 2009 and played as playing manager until 2010. He retired end of 2010 season.

National team career

In April 1995, Akiba was selected Japan U-20 national team for 1995 World Youth Championship. He played full time in all 4 matches as central defender of three backs defense. In July 1996, he was selected Japan U-23 national team for

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. He played 1 match as substitute as defensive midfielder. Although Japan won 2 matches, Japan lost at First round. At this time, Japan won

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in first game. It was known as "Miracle of Miami" ( マイアミの奇跡) in Japan.

Coaching career

In 2009, when Akiba was player, he became a playing manager for

. In 2010, he retired playing career and resigned as manager. In 2011, he signed with

Mito HollyHock is a Japanese professional football (soccer) club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team's hometown is located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. Its nickname "HollyHock" derives from the family crest of the Tokugawa clan who governed from Mit ...

and became an assistant coach. In 2013, he moved to

Thespakusatsu Gunma is a professional football (soccer) club based in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture in Japan. The club plays in the J2 League, the second division of professional football in Japan. History The club was founded in 1995 in Kusatsu, one of the most we ...

and became a manager. He resigned end of 2014 season. On 2 December 2019, Akiba signed return with Mito HollyHock and became a manager, he was previously an assistant coach in 2011. He leave from the club in 2022 after two years as manager at Mito. In April 2023, following the dismissal of

Zé Ricardo José Ricardo Mannarino (born 5 June 1971), known as Zé Ricardo, is a Brazilian professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of J2 League club Shimizu S-Pulse. Career Early career Born in Rio de Janeiro, Zé Ri ...

, Akiba was appointed as manager of

club

Club statistics

Managerial statistics

.J.League Data Site
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Personal life

His cousin

Nobuhide Akiba is a Japanese 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 also a footballer.

References

External links

* * * 1975 births Living people Japanese men's footballers Japan men's youth international footballers J1 League players J2 League players JEF United Chiba players Avispa Fukuoka players Cerezo Osaka players Albirex Niigata players Tokushima Vortis players Thespakusatsu Gunma players SC Sagamihara players Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Japan Japanese football managers J2 League managers SC Sagamihara managers Thespakusatsu Gunma managers Mito HollyHock managers category:Shimizu S-Pulse managers Men's association football midfielders Association football people from Chiba (city) {{Japan-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub