Akinori Nishizawa facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 June 1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Shimizu Higashi High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2000 | Cerezo Osaka | 124 | (43) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | →Volendam (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Espanyol | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Cerezo Osaka | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Cerezo Osaka | 148 | (41) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 43 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Cerezo Osaka | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 339 | (90) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Japan | 29 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Akinori Nishizawa (西澤 明訓, Nishizawa Akinori, born 18 June 1976) is a Japanese former footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals. He was also a key player for the Japan national team.
Contents
Akinori Nishizawa's Club Journey
Akinori Nishizawa was born in Shizuoka, Japan, on June 18, 1976. After finishing high school, he started his professional football career in 1995. He joined a team called Cerezo Osaka.
Playing in Other Countries
In December 2000, Akinori moved to Spain to play for a club called Espanyol. After that, in July 2001, he went to England to play for Bolton Wanderers. While playing for Bolton, he scored an exciting goal in the League Cup against Walsall.
Returning to Japan
In 2002, Akinori returned to Cerezo Osaka. The team had moved down to a lower league, the J2 League, but they quickly earned promotion back to the top league, the J1 League, by finishing second in 2002.
He continued to play for Cerezo Osaka until 2006. After that, he moved to his local team, Shimizu S-Pulse, in 2007. He played there for two years before returning to Cerezo Osaka one last time in 2009. Akinori Nishizawa retired from playing professional football at the end of the 2009 season.
Akinori Nishizawa's International Career
Akinori Nishizawa first played for the Japan national team on May 21, 1997. His first game was against South Korea. Even though he scored two goals in four games during the 1998 World Cup qualification matches, he was not chosen to play in the 1998 World Cup.
Success with Japan
In 2000, Akinori started playing for Japan again after three years. He was a big part of the team that won the 2000 Asian Cup in October. He played in all six games and scored five goals, helping Japan become champions.
The next year, in 2001, he also played in the 2001 Confederations Cup. He played four games and scored one goal, helping Japan finish in second place.
World Cup Appearance
Akinori Nishizawa was selected to play for Japan in the 2002 World Cup. He played in one game during this tournament, which was his last match for the national team. Overall, he played 29 games for Japan and scored 10 goals between 1997 and 2002.
Akinori Nishizawa's Achievements
Akinori Nishizawa achieved several important things during his football career.
With Japan
- AFC Asian Cup: 2000 (Champions)
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2001 (Second Place)
Individual Awards
- J1 League Best Eleven: 2000 (This means he was chosen as one of the best players in the J1 League for that year.)
See also
In Spanish: Akinori Nishizawa para niños
