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.

Playing career

Abe was born in Saitama on August 1, 1974. After he dropped out from University of Tsukuba, he joined

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...

in 1995. Although he played many matches in 1995, he could hardly play in the matches in 1996 and 1997. He also played for CFZ in 1997. From 1998, he played many matches and the club won the 1999 J1 League. In Asia, the club finished in third place of the

1998–99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup The winners of the 1998–99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation, are listed below. First round West Asia 1 Al Nejmeh withdrew. East Asia 1 Police SC withdre ...

. In 2000, he moved to newly relegated

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, Urawa Reds, based in his local area. He played many matches and the club returned to the

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 a year. However his opportunity to play decreased in 2002. In September 2002, he moved to newly was promoted to J1 club,

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...

. Although he played in 2 seasons, the club was relegated to J2 end of the 2002 season. In 2004, he moved to newly promoted J1 club, Albirex Niigata. However he could hardly play in the match for injury. In 2005, he moved to his first club Kashima Antlers and retired at the end of the 2005 season.

Club statistics

References

External links

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Profile
1974 births Living people University of Tsukuba alumni Association football people from Saitama Prefecture Japanese footballers J1 League players J2 League players Kashima Antlers players Urawa Red Diamonds players Vegalta Sendai players Albirex Niigata players Men's association football midfielders {{Japan-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub