Atsuto Uchida facts for kids
Uchida training with Schalke 04 in 2015
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Atsuto Uchida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kannami, Shizuoka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Shimizu Higashi High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Kashima Antlers | 124 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2017 | Schalke 04 | 104 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Union Berlin | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Kashima Antlers | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 252 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Japan U20 | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Japan U23 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2015 | Japan | 74 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atsuto Uchida (内田 篤人, Uchida Atsuto, born 27 March 1988) is a former professional footballer from Japan. He was known for playing in the right-back position. Many people think he was one of the best Asian right-backs of his time.
Uchida began his career with the Kashima Antlers in Japan, starting as a professional when he was only 17. He helped his team win three J1 League titles. In 2010, he moved to Germany to play for Schalke 04. With Schalke, he won the German cup, called the DFB-Pokal. He was so good that he was named to the Bundesliga team of the season twice.
He later played for Union Berlin before returning to Japan to finish his career with the Kashima Antlers. He retired in 2020. Uchida also played for the Japan national team, appearing in 74 matches and playing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, many serious injuries led him to retire at the age of 32.
Contents
Club Career
Kashima Antlers
Atsuto Uchida was born in Kannami, Shizuoka, Japan. He played for his high school team, Shimizu Higashi High School. Because he was very fast, he often played as a winger. However, his school's director moved him to the right-back position, where he played for the rest of his career. In 2006, after graduating, he joined the professional club Kashima Antlers.
He made his professional debut on March 5, 2006, at just 17 years old. He quickly became a regular starter for the team. He scored his first goal a few weeks later. In his first season, he played in 41 games and was chosen for the J. League All-Star Soccer game.
Over the next few years, Uchida became a key player for the Kashima Antlers. In 2007, he helped the team win the J1 League and the Emperor's Cup, scoring a goal in the final. He was again selected for the All-Star game. In 2008 and 2009, he helped the team win the league title again, making it three years in a row. For his great performances, he was named to the J. League Best Eleven team in both 2008 and 2009.
Schalke 04
On June 13, 2010, the German club Schalke 04 announced they had signed Uchida. This was a big move for him, as he was now playing in one of Europe's top leagues.
In his first season, Uchida helped Schalke have a great run in the UEFA Champions League, Europe's biggest club competition. He became the first Japanese player to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. That same year, he helped Schalke win the German cup, the DFB-Pokal Final, by defeating MSV Duisburg 5–0.
Uchida continued to be an important player for Schalke. In the 2012–13 season, he scored his first goal for the club. His excellent play earned him a spot on the Bundesliga Team of the Season. He was named to the team again the following season.
However, Uchida began to suffer from serious injuries. A torn tendon in 2014 kept him out for the rest of that season. More problems with his knee followed, and he had to have an operation in 2015. These injuries meant he missed the entire 2015–16 season and played only one match in the 2016–17 season.
Union Berlin and Return to Japan
In August 2017, Uchida moved to Union Berlin to try and get more playing time. However, he only played two matches before another injury.
In 2018, he decided to return to Japan and re-joined his first club, the Kashima Antlers. In his first season back, he helped the team win the AFC Champions League, which is Asia's top club competition. He was even named the team's captain for the 2019 season.
Sadly, injuries continued to bother him. On August 20, 2020, Uchida announced he would retire from professional football. He played his final match three days later.
International Career
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Uchida played for Japan's youth teams before joining the senior national team, also known as the "Samurai Blue." He made his full international debut on January 26, 2008.
On June 22, 2008, he scored his first international goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain. At 20 years and 87 days old, he became the youngest Japanese player to score in a World Cup qualifier.
He was part of Japan's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but he did not get to play in any matches. However, he became a key player at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He helped Japan win the tournament, playing in the final against Australia.
Uchida also played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and was a starting player for Japan at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He played in all three of Japan's matches in the tournament. After 2015, his injuries prevented him from playing for the national team again. He finished his international career with 74 appearances and 2 goals.
Life After Football
After retiring as a player, Uchida stayed involved in football. He became a role model coach for Japan's under-19 team. He also works as a sportscaster for a Japanese TV station. In 2022, he was appointed to a football committee for the J1 League.
Uchida is very popular in Japan. When he played for Schalke 04, groups of fans would travel from Japan to Germany just to see him play. The club even created a Japanese website and Twitter account because he had so many fans.
He is married to his childhood friend, Yuko Aoki, and they have three daughters.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kashima Antlers | 2006 | J1 League | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 1 | ||||
| 2008 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 124 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 179 | 6 | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 104 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 153 | 2 | |||
| Union Berlin | 2017–18 | 2. Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Kashima Antlers | 2018 | J1 League | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 254 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 64 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 372 | 9 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2008 | 14 | 1 |
| 2009 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 74 | 2 | |
Honours
Kashima Antlers
- J. League Division 1: 2007, 2008, 2009
- Emperor's Cup: 2007
- Japanese Super Cup: 2009, 2010
- AFC Champions League: 2018
Schalke 04
- DFB-Pokal: 2010–11
- DFL-Supercup: 2011
Japan
- AFC Asian Cup: 2011
Individual
- J.League Best XI: 2008, 2009
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2012–13, 2013–14
- J.League 30th Anniversary Team
See also
In Spanish: Atsuto Uchida para niños
