Akira Narahashi facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 26, 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Chiba, Chiba, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Chiba Eiwa High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1996 | Bellmare Hiratsuka | 199 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2006 | Kashima Antlers | 196 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Shonan Bellmare | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 396 | (37) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2003 | Japan | 38 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Akira Narahashi (名良橋 晃, Narahashi Akira, born November 26, 1971) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a right-back, which is a defensive position on the right side of the field. Akira Narahashi played 38 games for the Japan national team between 1994 and 2003. This included three matches at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, a huge event in football.
Club Career Highlights
Akira Narahashi was born in Chiba, Japan, on November 26, 1971. After finishing high school in 1990, he joined a football club called Fujita Industries. This club later became known as Bellmare Hiratsuka and then Shonan Bellmare.
Early Days with Bellmare
When Narahashi first joined, his team played in Japan's second-tier football league. In 1992, the league changed, and his club joined the new Japan Football League. The team worked hard and won the championship in 1993. This win meant they were promoted to the top league, the J1 League.
In 1994, Narahashi and his team won the Emperor's Cup, a major football tournament in Japan. They also achieved success in Asia, winning the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1995.
Success with Kashima Antlers
In 1997, Narahashi moved to another big club, Kashima Antlers. He wanted to learn from Jorginho, a famous Brazilian player who was also at Kashima.
The Kashima Antlers had a very successful period with Narahashi. In 2000, they made history by winning all three major Japanese titles in one year. They won the J1 League, the J.League Cup, and the Emperor's Cup. This was the first time a club had done this in J.League history.
During his time at Kashima, the club won the J1 League three times, the J.League Cup three times, and the Emperor's Cup two times. As the mid-2000s approached, Narahashi played less often. At the end of the 2006 season, Kashima Antlers decided not to renew his contract.
Return and Retirement
Narahashi went back to Shonan Bellmare in February 2007. However, he was released from the team in August of that year. On February 1, 2008, Akira Narahashi officially announced his retirement from professional football.
Playing for Japan
Akira Narahashi made his first appearance for the Japan national team on September 27, 1994. This game was against Australia.
World Cup Dream
For a while, Narahashi competed with another player, Hiroshige Yanagimoto, for the right-back position. When Yanagimoto got injured in 1997, Narahashi became the regular player for Japan.
He played a key role in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification. Japan successfully qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup for the very first time in their history. In 1998, Narahashi played in all three of Japan's matches at the World Cup tournament.
Later International Appearances
After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Narahashi was called up to the Japan national team again in October. This was his first time back with the team in four years, under the new manager Zico. He was also chosen for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, though he did not play in any matches during that tournament. He played a total of 38 games for Japan until 2003.
Career Statistics
Here are the statistics for Akira Narahashi's career, showing how many games he played and goals he scored for his clubs and the national team.
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bellmare Hiratsuka | 1990–91 | JSL Division 2 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | 26 | 5 | |||
| 1991–92 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | 28 | 3 | |||||
| 1992 | Football League | 18 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 1 | |||||
| 1993 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 23 | 5 | |||
| 1994 | J1 League | 39 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 44 | 2 | ||
| 1995 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 48 | 4 | ||||
| 1996 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 1 | – | 46 | 2 | |||
| Kashima Antlers | 1997 | J1 League | 17 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | 29 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 38 | 5 | |||
| 1999 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | – | 24 | 4 | |||
| 2000 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | 37 | 4 | |||
| 2001 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2002 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2003 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2004 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Shonan Bellmare | 2007 | J2 League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 396 | 37 | 36 | 1 | 68 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 503 | 42 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1994 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 13 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 0 | |
Honors and Awards
Akira Narahashi won many important titles during his football career.
With Shonan Bellmare
- Emperor's Cup: 1994
- Asian Cup Winner's Cup: 1995
With Kashima Antlers
- J - League: 1998, 2000, 2001
- Emperor's Cup: 1997, 2000
- J - League Cup: 1997, 2000, 2002
- Japanese Super Cup: 1997, 2000, 2002
Individual Awards
- J1 League Best Eleven: 2001 (This means he was chosen as one of the best 11 players in the J1 League for that year.)
See also
In Spanish: Akira Narahashi para niños
