Kazuo Ozaki facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kazuo Ozaki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | March 7, 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1977 | Nihon University High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1983 | Mitsubishi Motors | 63 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Arminia Bielefeld | 113 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | FC St. Pauli | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | TuRU Düsseldorf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Urawa Reds | 15 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Verdy Kawasaki | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Japan U-20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1983 | Japan | 17 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Kazuo Ozaki (尾崎 加寿夫, Ozaki Kazuo, born March 7, 1960) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a player who tried to score goals. He played 17 games for the Japan national team and scored three goals.
Contents
About Kazuo Ozaki
Kazuo Ozaki was born in Tokyo, Japan, on March 7, 1960. He grew up loving football. After finishing high school, he started his professional career.
Early Career in Japan
In 1978, Ozaki joined a team called Mitsubishi Motors. This was a very successful time for the club. In his first year, they won three big titles in Japan:
- Japan Soccer League (the top league)
- JSL Cup (a cup competition)
- Emperor's Cup (another major cup)
Mitsubishi Motors continued to win more trophies. They won the 1980 Emperor's Cup, the 1981 JSL Cup, and the 1982 Japan Soccer League. Ozaki was a key player during these victories. In 1982, he was even named the Japanese Footballer of the Year. This award showed he was one of the best players in Japan.
Playing in Germany
In July 1983, Kazuo Ozaki made a big move. He went to Germany to play for Arminia Bielefeld. This was a special moment because he was only the second Japanese player to play in the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga is Germany's top football league.
In 1985, his team, Arminia Bielefeld, moved down to a lower league called 2. Bundesliga. Ozaki continued to play in Germany for a few more years. From 1988 to 1990, he played for two other German clubs: FC St. Pauli and TuRU Düsseldorf.
Return to Japan and Retirement
After his time in Germany, Ozaki came back to Japan in 1990. He rejoined his old club, Mitsubishi Motors, which later became known as Urawa Reds. In 1993, he moved to another Japanese team, Verdy Kawasaki. He played there for a couple of years before retiring from professional football in 1994.
Representing Japan
Kazuo Ozaki also played for his country, Japan. In August 1979, he was chosen to play for the Japan U-20 national team. He was even the captain of the team during the 1979 World Youth Championship, where he played in three matches.
His debut for the main Japan national team was on February 8, 1981, against Malaysia. He also played in the 1982 Asian Games. Overall, he played 17 games for Japan and scored 3 goals. After he moved to Germany in 1983, he was not selected to play for the national team again.
See also
In Spanish: Kazuo Ozaki para niños
