Arata Izumi facts for kids
Izumi with Pune FC in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arata Izumi | ||
| Date of birth | 31 July 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Shimonoseki, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | Albirex Niigata Singapore | 22 | (3) |
| 2006 | Mitsubishi Mizushima | 25 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | East Bengal | 14 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Mahindra United | 24 | (2) |
| 2009–2015 | Pune | 119 | (25) |
| 2015 | → Atlético de Kolkata (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2016 | Mumbai | 13 | (1) |
| 2016 | Pune City | 9 | (1) |
| 2017 | NEROCA | ||
| 2017–2018 | Kerala Blasters | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 243 | (39) | |
| International career | |||
| 2013–2014 | India | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2023 | Reliance Foundation Young Champs | ||
| 2023–2024 | Inter Kashi (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arata Izumi (和泉 新, Izumi Arata, born 31 July 1982) is a professional coach and former footballer. He played as a midfielder. Arata was the assistant coach for the I-League club Inter Kashi. Born in Japan, Izumi played for the Indian national team. He played nine matches for India between 2013 and 2014.
Izumi started his professional football journey in Singapore. He played for Albirex Niigata Singapore. Then he played in his home country, Japan, for Mitsubishi Mizushima. In 2006, he moved to India. He spent his first three years in India playing for East Bengal and Mahindra United. After that, he played for six seasons with Pune. He also played for Atlético de Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune City, and NEROCA. With NEROCA, Izumi helped the club from Manipur get promoted to the I-League. He finished his playing career with the Kerala Blasters.
Contents
Arata Izumi's Football Journey
Starting His Career in Asia
Playing for Albirex Niigata Singapore
In 2005, Izumi began his professional football career. He joined Albirex Niigata Singapore in the S.League. This club was connected to Albirex Niigata from Japan's J.League. Arata became known for his speed while playing in the S.League. He scored his first professional goal on September 18, 2005, against Tampines Rovers. He scored another goal on September 30, 2005, against Woodlands Wellington. Arata played 22 games in the S.League, scoring 3 goals. He also played 2 games in the Singapore Cup, scoring 1 goal.
Time with Mitsubishi Mizushima
After a good season in Singapore, Arata moved back to Japan in 2006. He signed with Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima in the Japan Football League. While playing for the team, Arata also worked for Mitsubishi Motors. He painted cars for 10 hours a day. Then he practiced football for 2 hours. Even though he scored 7 goals and made 7 assists in 24 games, his team finished near the bottom of the league.
Moving to India
Joining East Bengal
In November 2006, Izumi signed with East Bengal. This club was part of the National Football League. At first, he found it hard to get used to the Indian weather. But he soon adapted. In his first season, he scored 1 goal and made 10 assists in 14 games.
Playing for Mahindra United
In 2007, Izumi joined Mahindra United. This team played in the I-League, which had replaced the old National Football League. He started the 2007–08 I-League season with an injury. This injury kept him from playing for six months. He returned later that season, scoring 1 goal and making 2 assists in 8 games. The next season, Izumi scored 1 goal and made 5 assists in 16 I-League games. That year, Arata and Mahindra United won the Durand Cup.
Success with Pune FC
In 2009, Izumi signed with Pune, a team that had just been promoted to the I-League. Izumi has said that moving to Pune was a big moment in his career. In 2010, he had his best season, scoring 10 goals and making 10 assists in 26 games. He also scored 6 more goals in cup matches. He was the top goal scorer among all midfielders. He was also named the best midfielder in the I-League by goal.com. Pune FC also gave him the "Man of Steel" award that season. Arata continued his strong performance in 2010–11. He scored 6 goals and made 9 assists in 24 games. On October 22, 2011, Izumi played his 50th I-League game for Pune FC. This was in the first match of the 2011–12 season. On August 24, 2012, Izumi signed a new 2-year contract with Pune FC.
Time with Atlético de Kolkata
In 2015, Izumi was chosen to play for Atlético Kolkata in the 2015 Indian Super League season. He scored his first goal for the team against FC Goa on October 7. Six days later, on October 13, Izumi scored against Kerala Blasters in a 2–1 win. Sixty thousand fans and the legendary Pelé watched this game at Salt Lake Stadium. He came back after an injury about a month later. He played a great game against Kerala Blasters in Kochi. He came off the bench and scored two goals in the last minutes, helping his team win 3–2. His last goal for the team was on December 14 against Mumbai City FC.
Playing for NEROCA and Kerala Blasters
In January 2017, after playing for Pune City, Izumi signed with I-League 2nd Division team NEROCA. On July 23, 2017, Izumi was chosen by the Kerala Blasters in the 2017–18 ISL Players Draft. He made his first appearance for the club on November 17, 2017, against ATK. He played the whole game, which ended in a 0–0 draw. Izumi announced his retirement from professional football on July 18, 2018.
Playing Style
As a player, Arata Izumi could play in many midfield positions. He often played behind the main striker or as a playmaker. He could also play as a winger because he was good at crossing the ball.
Playing for India
On August 24, 2012, Izumi became an Indian citizen. He gave up his Japanese passport to do this. This made him able to play for the Indian national team. On January 29, 2013, it was confirmed that Izumi was called up to play for India. This was for a friendly match against Palestine. Izumi made his international debut in that game. He came on as a substitute in the 64th minute. India lost the match 4–2. Since then, Izumi was also called up for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification and the 2013 SAFF Championship squad.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Izumi became a youth coach. He joined the Reliance Foundation Young Champs. This is a youth academy for the Indian Super League. In August 2023, Izumi became the assistant coach for Inter Kashi. This is a new club that started playing in the I-League.
Personal Life
Arata Izumi's mother, Akiko Izumi, is Japanese. His father, Narendra Khambholja, is Gujarati. On August 24, 2012, his club, Pune FC, announced that he had received Indian citizenship. Izumi also has an Indian name, Neelkanth Khambholja.
Honours
India
- SAFF Championship runner-up: 2013
East Bengal
- Indian Super Cup: 2006
- Calcutta Football League: 2006
Mahindra United
- IFA Shield: 2008
- Mumbai Football League: 2007–08, 2008–09
Pune
- I-League runner-up: 2012–13; third place: 2009–10
- Durand Cup runner-up: 2014
- Bhutan King's Cup runner-up: 2014
See also
- List of Indian football players in foreign leagues
- Indian naturalized football players
- List of India international footballers born outside India
