Masahiro Fukuda facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Masahiro Fukuda | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | December 27, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Sagami Institute of Technology High School | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–2002 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 287 | (143) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 287 | (143) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1995 | Japan | 45 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Masahiro Fukuda (福田 正博, Fukuda Masahiro, born December 27, 1966) is a famous former Japanese football player. He was known for being a great goal scorer. Masahiro Fukuda played mostly as a forward. Sometimes, he also played in the middle of the field.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Masahiro Fukuda started his football journey in high school. He then played for Chuo University. In 1989, he joined a club called Mitsubishi Motors. This team was in the second division of the Japan Soccer League.
Early Career Success
In his very first season, Fukuda scored an amazing 36 goals! This helped his team move up to the first division. When Japan started its first professional league, the J1 League, the Mitsubishi Motors team became the Urawa Red Diamonds. Fukuda became a professional player and stayed with the club.
First J1 League Goal
He scored his first goal in the J1 League on June 9, 1993. It was against the Kashima Antlers team. All his teammates, except the goalkeeper, ran to celebrate with him. While they were celebrating, the referee allowed the other team to restart the game. Kashima's player, Hisashi Kurosaki, scored a goal right away!
Top Scorer and "Saddest Golden Goal"
In the 1995 season, Fukuda scored 32 goals. This made him the top scorer in the league! He was also chosen for the J.League Best XI, which means he was one of the best players that year.
In 1998, his team, Urawa, was fighting to stay in the J1 League. They needed to win their last game in the normal 90 minutes. Back then, if a game was tied, they played extra time with a "golden goal" rule. This meant the first team to score in extra time won. But for league matches, winning in extra time gave fewer points than winning in regular time. Urawa didn't win in 90 minutes, so they knew they were already going to be moved down to a lower league. Fukuda scored the golden goal in extra time. Fans remember this as the "saddest golden goal in the world" because it didn't help them stay in the top league.
Retirement and Legacy
Masahiro Fukuda stopped playing football after the 2002 season. He played his entire professional club career with just one team, the Urawa Red Diamonds. Fans loved him so much that they called him "Mr. Reds." In 2003, a special match was held for him at Saitama Stadium. More than 50,000 fans came to say goodbye.
Playing for Japan's National Team
Masahiro Fukuda also played for the Japan national team. He played 45 games and scored 9 goals for his country between 1990 and 1995.
First International Games
His first game for Japan was on July 27, 1990. It was a Dynasty Cup match against South Korea in Beijing. He scored his first goal for Japan on August 24, 1992. This was also in a Dynasty Cup match, against China, also in Beijing.
Asian Cup Victory
Fukuda was part of the Japan team that won the 1992 Asian Cup. He played in 4 games during that tournament. He scored one important goal in the semi-final match against China.
The "Agony of Doha"
Under coach Hans Ooft, Japan tried to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Fukuda came into the game in the 59th minute during their last qualifying match. Japan needed to win to go to the World Cup. But in the very last moments of the game, Iraq scored a goal. This meant Japan did not qualify. Japanese fans still call this match the Agony of Doha.
After Retirement from Football
After he stopped playing, Masahiro Fukuda became a football commentator. He also writes columns for different programs and magazines. In 2007, he earned a special coaching license. This license is needed to manage a J.League club. He worked as an assistant coach for Urawa from 2008 to 2010.
Club Statistics
Here are Masahiro Fukuda's playing statistics for his club teams:
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1989/90 | Mitsubishi Motors | JSL Division 2 | 26 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 36 |
| 1990/91 | JSL Division 1 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | |
| 1991/92 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | ||
| 1992 | Urawa Red Diamonds | J1 League | - | 4 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 6 | |
| 1993 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | ||
| 1994 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 8 | ||
| 1995 | 50 | 32 | 3 | 2 | - | 53 | 34 | |||
| 1996 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 7 | ||
| 1997 | 29 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 25 | ||
| 1998 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 11 | ||
| 1999 | 23 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 14 | ||
| 2000 | J2 League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2001 | J1 League | 14 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Total | 287 | 143 | 27 | 16 | 41 | 13 | 355 | 172 | ||
National Team Statistics
Here are Masahiro Fukuda's playing statistics for the Japan national team:
| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1990 | 5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 2 | 0 |
| 1992 | 8 | 3 |
| 1993 | 15 | 3 |
| 1994 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 15 | 3 |
| Total | 45 | 9 |
Awards and Achievements
Masahiro Fukuda received several honors during his football career.
Individual Awards
- J.League Top Scorer: 1995 (He scored the most goals in the league)
- J.League Best XI: 1995 (He was chosen as one of the best 11 players)
- AFC Player of the Month: 1995
- Urawa Red Diamonds Top Scorer: 152 (He scored the most goals for his club)
Team Awards
- 1992 Asian Cup (Champions)
See also
In Spanish: Masahiro Fukuda para niños
