Koki Yonekura facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Koki Yonekura | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | May 17, 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Inage-ku, Chiba, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | JEF United Chiba | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Yachiyo High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2013 | JEF United Chiba | 136 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | → JEF Reserves (loan) | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2019 | Gamba Osaka | 120 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Gamba Osaka U-23 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → JEF United Chiba (loan) | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | JEF United Chiba | 65 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Japan | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Koki Yonekura (米倉 恒貴, Yonekura Kōki, born May 17, 1988 in Inage-ku, Chiba) is a Japanese footballer. He plays for JEF United Chiba as a right full-back. Sometimes, he also plays as an attacking midfielder.
Playing for Clubs
Koki Yonekura grew up in Chiba, Japan. He went to Yachiyo High School. After finishing school, he joined his local football club, JEF United, in 2007.
He played for JEF United for seven seasons. The first two seasons were in Japan's top league, J1 League. The next five seasons were in the J2 League. Koki Yonekura played as a right-sided defender or midfielder. He played over 150 league games and scored 20 goals for JEF United.
In 2013, Koki Yonekura played very well in a game against Gamba Osaka. Even though Gamba Osaka lost that game, they became J2 champions that year. After that, Gamba Osaka signed Koki Yonekura to play for them in 2014. They were returning to the J1 League.
His first year with Gamba Osaka was amazing! The team won three major trophies in Japan. They won the J1 League, the J.League Cup, and the Emperor's Cup. This is called a "domestic treble." Koki Yonekura scored 3 goals in 34 games that season. He often shared his position with other full-backs like Oh Jae-suk and Hiroki Fujiharu.
In 2015, Koki Yonekura played nearly 50 games in five different competitions. Gamba Osaka won the Emperor's Cup again that year. They also won the Japanese Super Cup. The team reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, which is a big Asian competition.
Between 2016 and 2018, Gamba Osaka did not win any more trophies. Koki Yonekura continued to play for the team during these years. He often rotated with Oh Jae-suk. In 2018, he played more regularly, scoring one goal in 26 games. Gamba Osaka finished 9th in the league that season.
In 2019, Koki Yonekura returned to JEF United Chiba on loan. Later, in 2020, he joined JEF United Chiba permanently.
Playing for Japan
On July 23, 2015, Koki Yonekura was called to play for the Japan national team. The coach, Vahid Halilhodžić, chose him for the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. Koki Yonekura played two games in this competition. Japan finished in 4th place.
Achievements
Koki Yonekura has won several important football titles:
- J1 League – 2014
- Emperor's Cup – 2014, 2015
- J. League Cup – 2014
- Japanese Super Cup – 2015
See also
In Spanish: Kōki Yonekura para niños
