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. He played for
Japan national team.
Club career
Sakai was born in
Misato on 29 June 1979. He joined
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 ...
from youth team in 1997. He played many matches as defensive midfielder from first season. He moved to
Nagoya Grampus Eight
(formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp. in 1939, the c ...
in 2001. He also played as right midfielder not only defensive midfielder. His opportunity to play decreased from the middle of 2003. He moved to
Urawa Reds
, colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...
in 2004. Although he did not have much opportunity to play, the club won the 2nd place in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2005 J1 League and the champions
2005 Emperor's Cup
The 85th Emperor's Cup was held between September 17, 2005 and January 1, 2006. The tournament was won by Urawa Red Diamonds. The J.League Division 2 clubs qualified automatically to the third round, while the J.League Division 1 clubs qualified au ...
. He moved to
Vissel Kobe
is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home match ...
in July 2007 and
Fujieda MYFC
are a Japanese J2 League football club based in Fujieda, Shizuoka. It is funded by online subscribers and is the first of its kind in Japan.
The club spent two seasons in the Japan Football League before having their application accepted in 201 ...
in 2009. From 2010, he moved to Indonesia and played for
Pelita Jaya
Madura United Football Club is an Indonesian professional football club. The club is based in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java. They currently play in the Liga 1. Established on 10 January 2016, Madura United FC is one of few professional clubs ...
,
Persiwa Wamena
Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Wamena, commonly known as Persiwa Wamena is an Indonesian football club based in Wamena, Papua, Indonesia. They play in the Liga 3.
History
Although they became the runners-up in the 2014 Liga Indonesia Premier ...
,
Persiram Raja Ampat
Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Raja Ampat, commonly known as Persiram Raja Ampat, or Persiram, was an Indonesian professional football club based in Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua. They last competed in the Indonesia Super League before being ...
and
Deltras Sidoarjo. He retired in 2013.
National team career
In August 1995, Sakai was selected
Japan U-17 national team for
1995 U-17 World Championship. He played full-time in all 3 matches. In April 1999, he was also selected
Japan U-20 national team for
1999 World Youth Championship. He played full-time in all 7 matches as right midfielder and Japan won the 2nd place.
In September 2000, Sakai was selected
Japan U-23 national team for
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
who carried high hopes of the nation because Sakai's teammates included such household names as
Hidetoshi Nakata
is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Asian players of all time.
Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player ...
,
Shunsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans wi ...
and
Naohiro Takahara
is a Japanese Association football, football player and manager. He played for Japan national football team, Japan's national football team. Currently, he is the manager for Okinawa SV.
Club career
Takahara was born in Mishima, Shizuoka, Mishim ...
. Sakai played all 4 matches. However, in the team's quarterfinal match, Sakai committed a foul inside his own box at the 90th minute, conceding the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Japan's opponents, a crucial penalty to make it 2-2.
The United States went on to win the penalty shootouts after 120 minutes of play could not separate the two teams.
[
On 20 December 2000, Sakai debuted for Japan national team against ]South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.[Japan National Football Team Database](_blank)
/ref>
Club statistics
Honors and awards
Club honors
;Urawa Reds
*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 ...
(1): 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
*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 ...
(2): 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Country honors
* FIFA World Youth Championship
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when ...
runner-up: 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
References
External links
*
*
Japan National Football Team Database
*
*
1979 births
Living people
Association football people from Saitama Prefecture
Japanese footballers
Japan international footballers
Japan youth international footballers
J1 League players
JEF United Chiba players
Nagoya Grampus players
Urawa Red Diamonds players
Vissel Kobe players
Fujieda MYFC players
Expatriate footballers in Indonesia
Liga 1 (Indonesia) players
Pelita Bandung Raya players
Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers of Japan
Japanese expatriate footballers
Association football midfielders
{{Japan-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub