is a Japanese 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 ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Nankatsu SC. He is a retired international for the Japan national team.

Club career

Inamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He played for Japanese club

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to s ...

during his last year of high school, signing with the club in 1997. In April when at the age of 17, he debuted opening match in 1997 J.League season, which made him the youngest player who played J.League (at that time). He played for Gamba until summer 2001 and played 118 matches in J1 League. He was then one of many high-profile transfers of Asian players to Europe, signing with Arsenal of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. Inamoto scored two goals for the Japanese national team at the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

, but had already been released by Arsenal shortly before the tournament began. He was then signed by Fulham on a long-term loan deal from

. Initially he settled well at the London club, garnering good notices as a tough-tackling midfielder with an eye for a spectacular goal. He became a cult favourite quickly, scoring four goals over the two legs of Fulham's Intertoto Cup final against

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, scoring once in the first leg and a hat trick in the second. Other notable goals he scored in his time for Fulham include goals against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

, Sunderland,

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

and also in the 3–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2003. He also scored in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

against Everton which commentator

Barry Davies Barry George Davies MBE (born 24 October 1937) is an English retired sports commentator and television presenter. He covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC. Although best known for his football commentary, D ...

described as "a Japanese peach". Inamoto was also described as "bigger than Beckham" by the Japanese media. However, he sustained a fractured

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

in an international friendly against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and returned to

to do promotional work. Fulham were interested in signing him once more, but concerns remained over his recovery from injury. Inamoto signed with

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

for a decidedly small £200,000 transfer fee, which was only to be paid once he had made an appearance for the Midlands club. However,

Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers ...

departed as West Bromwich Albion manager shortly afterwards, and successor

Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...

was unsure of the player. Inamoto was loaned to Cardiff City for the latter part of the 2004–05 season, and impressed, being recalled to play a role in West Brom's survival campaign in the Premiership. In 2005–06 he was a regular in the West Brom side, and was called up to the Japan squad for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

, the first Albion player to play in the tournament for 20 years. Whilst at West Brom Inamoto scored once, an extra time winner in a League Cup tie against former club Fulham on 25 October 2005. On 31 August 2006, he signed for

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

. On 29 May 2007, it was revealed that he signed a two-year contract with German club

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

, joining on a free transfer. Inamoto was presented in a press conference joining fellow Japanese striker

Naohiro Takahara is a Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan's national football team. Currently, he is the manager for Okinawa SV. Club career Takahara was born in Mishima on 4 June 1979. After graduating from high school, he joined Júbil ...

in Frankfurt and was released on 30 May 2009. On 19 June 2009, French Ligue 1 side Rennes announced that Inamoto had signed a contract with them. Inamoto signed for J1 League club

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara ...

on 11 January 2010 in a move back to his homeland. He played for Frontale for 5 seasons. He resigned end of 2014 season. Inamoto then subsequently featured for 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 ...

(later ''Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo'') in J2 League. Consadole won the 2016 season and was promoted to J1. However he could only play single-digit matches every season from 2016 season. He resigned at the end of 2018 season. In 2019, he signed with J3 League club SC Sagamihara.

International career

In August 1995, Inamoto was selected Japan U-17 national team for 1995 U-17 World Championship. He played all 3 matches. In April 1999, he was selected Japan U-20 national team for 1999 World Youth Championship. At this tournament, he played three matches and Japan came second place. On 5 February 2000, Inamoto debuted for Japan national team under manager

Philippe Troussier Philippe Omar TroussierOctober's ten - Religious conversions

against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Japan National Football Team Database
/ref> After the debuted, Inamoto played 10 matches or more every year under Troussier. In September 2000, Inamoto 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 ...

. He played full-time in all 4 matches and scored a goal against

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. In 2000, Inamoto played at 2000 Asian Cup. He played four matches while Japan won the championship. In 2001, he also played at 2001 Confederations Cup. He played four matches and Japan came second place. In 2002, he was selected Japan for

. He played all four matches and scored two goals against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

at first match and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

at second match. Japan qualified to the knockout stage first time in Japan's history. After 2002 World Cup, Inamoto played at 2003 and 2005 Confederations Cup. In 2006, he was selected Japan for

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

. He played two matches while Japan was eliminated in the group stages. After 2006 World Cup, Inamoto was not selected Japan 1 year for generational change. In June 2007, he played for Japan for the first time in a year. After that, he played several matches every year. In 2010, he was selected Japan for

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. He played two matches and Japan qualified to the knockout stage. This World Cup is his last game for Japan. He played 82 games and scored 5 goals for Japan.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Inamoto goal.''

Honours

Fulham * UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002
Hokkaido Consodale Sapporo * J2 League:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Japan U17 *

AFC U-17 Championship The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

Japan U20 *

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 shoot ...

Japan * AFC Asian Cup:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

* FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2001 Individual *J.League Best Eleven: 2000

References

External links

* *
Japan National Football Team Database
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inamoto, Junichi Living people 1979 births People from Kagoshima Prefecture Association football people from Kagoshima Prefecture Japanese footballers Association football midfielders Japan international footballers Japan youth international footballers AFC Asian Cup-winning players 2000 AFC Asian Cup players 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players Olympic footballers of Japan Asian Games competitors for Japan Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics J1 League players J2 League players J3 League players Premier League players English Football League players Ligue 1 players Süper Lig players Bundesliga players Gamba Osaka players Arsenal F.C. players Fulham F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Galatasaray S.K. footballers Eintracht Frankfurt players Stade Rennais F.C. players Kawasaki Frontale players Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo players SC Sagamihara players Nankatsu SC players Japanese expatriate footballers Japanese expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Wales Expatriate footballers in Wales Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Turkey Japanese expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in France Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate footballers in Germany