Koji Tanaka facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Koji Tanaka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | November 2, 1955 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saitama, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1973 | Saitama Urawa High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1977 | Meiji University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1988 | NKK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Japan | 20 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Japan U-20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Nagoya Grampus Eight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Shonan Bellmare | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Vegalta Sendai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Matsue City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Koji Tanaka (田中 孝司, Tanaka Kōji, born November 2, 1955) is a famous Japanese football player and manager. He played as a midfielder for the Japan national team. After his playing career, he became a successful coach for various teams, including the Japan U-20 national team.
Playing for Clubs
Koji Tanaka was born in Saitama, Japan, on November 2, 1955. After finishing university at Meiji University, he joined a football club called Nippon Kokan in 1978. This club later became known as NKK.
During his time with NKK, the team achieved great success. They won the JSL Cup in 1980 and the Emperor's Cup in 1981. From 1985 to 1988, his team finished second place in the Japan Soccer League for three years in a row. They also won the JSL Cup again in 1987. Koji Tanaka retired from playing football in 1988.
Playing for Japan
On July 15, 1982, Koji Tanaka played his first game for the Japan national football team. This game was against the Romanian national team.
In November of the same year, he played in the 1982 Asian Games. He also took part in the qualifying games for the 1984 Summer Olympics in 1983 and 1984. Koji Tanaka played a total of 20 games for Japan and scored 3 goals before 1984.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Koji Tanaka started his coaching career at his old club, NKK, in 1989. In 1993, he became the manager for the Japan U-20 national team.
He led the U-20 Japan team to the quarter-finals of the 1995 World Youth Championship. This was a great achievement for the young team.
In 1995, he joined Nagoya Grampus Eight as a coach. In November 1997, he became the main manager for the club. He managed the team until April 1999. Later, in 2001, he became the manager for J2 League club Shonan Bellmare and stayed there until 2002.
In 2016, Koji Tanaka was appointed manager of Matsue City FC, which later changed its name to FC Kagura Shimane. He managed this team until 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Koji Tanaka para niños
