is a Japanese former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. He made four appearances for the
Japan national team scoring once.
Club career
Nagai played his youth football at
Mitsubishi Yowa
commonly referred to as simply Mitsubishi Yowa or Yowa-kai is a Japanese multisports club based in Sugamo, Tokyo. It is most notable for its Association football, football section, also known as Mitsubishi Yowa S.C.. The youth football team is fa ...
Club. After graduating from high school in 1997, he joined
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 ...
. He made his professional debut on 12 April of that year in the opening league match against
Yokohama 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 and ...
at
Urawa Komaba Stadium
The is an athletic stadium in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Japan. It accommodates 21,500 spectators.
It was formerly known as Saitama Urawa Komaba Stadium (さいたま市駒場スタジアム). Since May 2012, it has been called Urawa Komaba Stadium.
U ...
.
Nagai was loaned out to German
2. Bundesliga side
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the D ...
from 1998 to 1999. He played 21 league games and scored 4 goals for
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
.
In 2003, Nagai took over the number "9" jersey from iconic
Masahiro Fukuda
is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He was a forward but sometimes played in the midfield.
Club career
After studying at and playing for Sagami Institute of Technology High School and Chuo University, Fuk ...
after the latter retired from the game. He scored a hat trick against
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 ...
on 21 August 2004. In the same match, his teammate
Koji Yamase
is a Japanese football player who plays for Renofa Yamaguchi FC. His father Isao Yamase participated in the 1984 Winter Olympics as a biathlete. His brother Yukihiro Yamase is also footballer.
Club career
Yamase was born in Sapporo on 22 Sept ...
also scored three goals. On 1 January 2007, he was instrumental in Urawa defending the
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 ...
by scoring a late winner assisted by
Masayuki Okano
is a Japanese former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder or forward (association football), forward. He played for the Japan national football team, Japan national team.
Club career
Okano was born in Yokoham ...
. The club won the champions
2006 J1 League,
2003 J.League Cup,
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 ...
and
2006 Emperor's Cup
The 86th Emperor's Cup had been held between September 17, 2006 and January 1, 2007. The previous season's winners Urawa Red Diamonds defended the Cup and completed the league-cup double.
Schedule
Matches First Round
Second Round
Third Roun ...
until 2006.
In 2007,
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
, Nagai helped Urawa win the tournament scoring 3 goals. He was named the player of the tournament. Urawa also won the 3rd place at
2007 FIFA Club World Cup.
On 7 January 2009, Nagai transferred to
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 ...
. He played until 2011. After that, he played for
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 ...
(2012–13),
Arterivo Wakayama
is a football (soccer) club based in Wakayama, the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. They play in the Kansai Soccer League, which is part of Japanese Regional Leagues. The name Arterivo comes from the combination of two Italian word ...
(2014) and
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 ...
(2015–17).
International career
Nagai was a member of the Japan team for the
1997 World Youth Championship hosted by
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. He played all 5 matches and scored a goal against Costa Rica at the group stage. The team was eliminated at the quarterfinal. He also represented Japan at the
1999 World Youth Championship hosted by
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He played all 7 matches and scored a goal in the semi-final against Uruguay and contributed to the team finishing runners-up in the competition.
He made his full international debut for
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 ...
on 21 April 2003 in a friendly 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 ...
at
Seoul World Cup Stadium
The Seoul World Cup Stadium (), also known as Sangam Stadium, is a stadium used mostly for association football matches. The venue is located in 240, World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and opene ...
. His first international goal was the winner in the same match. He also played at
2003 Confederations Cup
The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vi ...
. He is so far capped 4 times and scored 1 goal.
[Japan National Football Team Database](_blank)
/ref>
Career statistics
Club
:Source:[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. 185 out of 266)
FIFA Club World Cup
International
:Source:
International goals
Appearances in major competitions
Honors and awards
Individual
* AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
Player of the Tournament: 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Team
* AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
Winner: 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
* 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 ...
Winner: 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 ...
Winner: 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 ...
* J.League Cup
The is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or (Levain is one of Y ...
Winner: 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 ...
* 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 ...
Winner: 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 ...
* 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 wh ...
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
*
Profile at Thespakusatsu Gunma
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagai, Yuichiro
1979 births
Living people
Association football people from Tokyo
Japanese footballers
Japan youth international footballers
Japan international footballers
J1 League players
J2 League players
Urawa Red Diamonds players
Karlsruher SC II players
Shimizu S-Pulse players
Yokohama FC players
Arterivo Wakayama players
Thespakusatsu Gunma players
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players
Japanese expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Association football forwards