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 used. Sports commonly c ...

manager and former player. He played for Japan national team. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the ''Cannon of Asia''.

Club career

Takagi was educated at and played for Kunimi High School and

Osaka University of Commerce , abbreviated to , is a private university located in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. History The origin was founded in 1928 as Osaka Joto School of Commerce (大阪城東商業学校) by Noboru Tanioka (谷岡登, 1894–1 ...

. After finishing the university in 1990, he joined

Japan Soccer League , or JSL, was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional ...

side Fujita Industries (current

Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa 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 Hiratsuka ...

). He moved to

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

(current

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the coun ...

) in 1991 and was awarded the JSL Young Player of the Year in 1992. His partnership with Czech

Ivan Hašek Ivan Hašek (born 6 September 1963) is a Czech professional football coach and former player. Hašek played as a central midfielder, and spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, ...

up front was so successful that Hiroshima won the second stage of

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 ...

in 1994. Due to financial difficulties, Hiroshima was forced to release their key players including Takagi in 1998. He moved to

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, wit ...

. He was then transferred 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 ...

side

Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club, which plays in the J1 League. The team is based in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. The club name of "Consadole" is made from ''consado'', a reverse of the Japanese word and the Spanish express ...

in 2000 and retired there at the end of the season.

International career

Takagi was

capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...

44 times and scored 27 goals for the Japan national team. He made his international debut in a friendly against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

on May 31, 1992 at the

Tokyo National Stadium The Japan National Stadium, officially named and formerly known as or , is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for association football in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The facility served as the main stadium for the opening and ...

, the first match under

Hans Ooft Marius Johan ("Hans") Ooft (born 1947) is a Dutch former football player and manager who became the first foreigner to head the Japanese football team. Under Ooft, Japan won the Asian Championship for the first time in 1992 but was fired a yea ...

's reign. He scored his first international goal in a

Dynasty Cup Dynasty Cup was an East Asian international association football tournament. The tournament was held every 2 or 3 years. It was hosted by Beijing in 1990 and 1992, Hong Kong in 1995, Yokohama and Tokyo in 1998. In 2002 the East Asian Football F ...

match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

on August 24, 1992 in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He became the ace striker for Ooft's Japan national team. He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup. He scored the lone goal in the final against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and even though he is said to be awarded the Most Valuable Player of the competition, this is not true. The honor went to his team mate Kazuyoshi Miura. Takagi wasn't even elected into the Tournament Best Eleven. He was also a member of the Japan squad who participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification for the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

. He was suspended for the crucial last match that the Japanese fans now refer to as the

Agony of Doha In the final round of matches of the final round of Asian qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Japan and Iraq drew 2–2 in Doha, Qatar. If Japan had won the match, they would have qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Instead, J ...

, and watched from the bench a late Iraqi equaliser dashed Japan's hope to qualify for the finals in the USA. He also took part in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup hosted by

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. He played three games and scored one goal against

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

in the competition.

Coaching career

Until 2004

After finishing his playing career, he worked as a soccer commentator on television. He also acquired the S-Class Coaching License that was a prerequisite to manage a J.League club in 2004.

Yokohama FC

At the beginning of 2006, he was appointed an assistant coach at

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 ...

. He was unexpectedly promoted to the manager of the club to replace Yusuke Adachi who was sacked only after the team lost to

Ehime FC is a professional football club based in Matsuyama, the capital city of Ehime Prefecture of Japan. After winning the JFL championship in 2005, the club now plays in . History The club was founded in 1970 as Matsuyama Soccer Club and renamed ...

in the opening match of the season. Takagi's lack of coaching experience and untimely dismissal of Adachi worried the fans who decided in protest to watch the second match of the season (the first match under Takagi) in silence. However, Takagi quickly convinced the supporters as he guided the club unbeaten for the first fifteen matches under his reign. This was the record unbeaten run since appointment of a new manager in J.League. The club made another J.League record when they did not concede any goal for 770 consecutive minutes by breaking

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 ...

's 731 minutes recorded in 1993. They kept 7 consecutive clean sheets which was also a tied J2 League record. Yokohama FC, who had been languishing in the bottom half of the standing previous 5 seasons since their accession to J2, won the title and gained the first-ever promotion to J1 League. The club made a drastic change in their squad before the beginning of the 2007 season in preparation for the fight in the top-flight. Eleven players left while another eleven joined the club. Those who left included the striking partners

Shoji Jo is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for the Japan national team. Club career He was born on the island of Hokkaido and began his footballing career with JEF United Ichihara in 1994. He quickly esta ...

and Alemão who scored 30 goals together out of club's 61 goals in the previous season. Long-serving Tomotaka Kitamura and Tsuyoshi Yoshitake also left. Takagi enhanced his squad by recruiting former Japanese internationals

Tatsuhiko Kubo is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Club career Kubo was born in Chikuzen, Fukuoka on June 18, 1976. After graduating from high school, he joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 1995. He debuted in 1996 and became ...

and

Daisuke Oku was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Club career Oku was born in Amagasaki on February 7, 1976. After graduating from high school, he joined Júbilo Iwata in 1994. He debuted in 1996. He became a regular player fro ...

(both from

Yokohama F. Marinos is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club competes in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Having won the J-League title four times an ...

), and Gilmar Silva (from

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 ...

). They beat Marinos in a Yokohama derby in the second match of the season, but otherwise the things didn't go well for Takagi. New team leaders Oku and Kubo were sidelined due to injuries and the club was anchored at the bottom of the standing. The club signed high-profile former Japanese international midfielder

Atsuhiro Miura is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He is not related to fellow footballer and who is also from Japan Kazuyoshi Miura. Club career Miura was born in Oita on 24 July 1974. After dropped out from Aoyama Gak ...

in August. Apparently there was a conflict between the management and Takagi as he expressed disgruntlement on Miura's signing quoting that what the club needed at that point was a good defender or forward. He was sacked on August 27, 2007 and replaced by Brazilian

Júlio César Leal Júlio César Leal Junior (born April 13, 1951 in Itajuba, Brazil) is an association football manager. Leal has coached clubs in Kuwait, Brazil, Japan, United States and South Africa. He parted ways with Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates ...

Tokyo Verdy

In 2008, Takagi signed with

returned to J1 and he served as assistant coach under manager and his former international team mate

Tetsuji Hashiratani is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team. His elder brother Koichi Hashiratani is also a former footballer. Club career Hashiratani was educated at and played for Kyoto Commercial High School and Kok ...

in 2008. However Verdy was relegated to J2 in a year and Hashiratani resigned end of the season. Takagi was promoted to the manager as Hashiratani successor. However he was sacked for poor performance in October.

Roasso Kumamoto

He was appointed the manager of

Roasso Kumamoto is a Japanese football club based in Kumamoto, the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture. The club currently plays in the J2 League, which is the second tier of football in the country. ''Roasso'' is a portmanteau of the Italian words ''rosso'' a ...

in 2010, and managed until his resignation after 2012 season.

V-Varen Nagasaki

On 20 December 2012, Takagi's local club

V-Varen Nagasaki is a Japanese J2 League football club based in Nagasaki. The club was established in 1985 as Ariake SC till they merged with Kunimi FC in 2004 and adopted the present name in 2005. The club gained promotion into the J. League Division 2 in ...

made an announcement that they appointed Takagi as the manager of newly promoted club to the 2013 J2 League. In 2017 season, the club won the 2nd place and was promoted to J1 first time in the club history. In 2018, V-Varen gain several players who Takagi's

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

at his high school, Yuhei Tokunaga,

Hokuto Nakamura is a retired Japanese football player and current U18 head coach of Avispa Fukuoka. National team career In June 2005, Nakamura was selected Japan U-20 national team for 2005 World Youth Championship. At this tournament, he played full time ...

and

Kenta Tokushige is a Japanese football player who plays for Ehime FC. Club career Tokushige was born in Kagoshima on March 9, 1984. After graduating from high school, he joined J1 League club Urawa Reds in 2002. However he could not play at all in the match b ...

. However the club finished at the bottom place and was relegated to J2, Takagi resigned end of the 2018 season.

Omiya Ardija

In 2019, Takagi signed with J2 club

Omiya Ardija is a professional association football club based in Ōmiya in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds. Omiya competed in the J1 League follow ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

Update; ''October 2, 2019''J.League Data Site
/ref>

Honors

Japan *

1992 Asian Cup The 1992 AFC Asian Cup was the 10th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan between 29 Octob ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

Individual *

top scorer:1992

References

External links

*
Japan National Football Team Database
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Takagi, Takuya 1967 births Living people Osaka University of Commerce alumni Association football people from Nagasaki Prefecture Japanese footballers Japan international footballers Japan Soccer League players J1 League players J2 League players Shonan Bellmare players Sanfrecce Hiroshima players Tokyo Verdy players Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo players 1988 AFC Asian Cup players 1992 AFC Asian Cup players 1996 AFC Asian Cup players AFC Asian Cup-winning players Japanese football managers J1 League managers J2 League managers J3 League managers Yokohama FC managers Tokyo Verdy managers Roasso Kumamoto managers V-Varen Nagasaki managers Omiya Ardija managers category:SC Sagamihara managers Association football forwards Footballers at the 1994 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Japan