Masanobu Matsunami facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Masanobu Matsunami | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | November 21, 1974 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gifu, Gifu, Japan | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Teikyo High School | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1993–2005 | Gamba Osaka | 280 | (45) | ||||||||||
| Total | 280 | (45) | |||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Gamba Osaka | ||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Gainare Tottori | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | Gamba Osaka | ||||||||||||
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Honours
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Masanobu Matsunami (松波 正信, born November 21, 1974) is a well-known Japanese football player and coach. He spent most of his career with the club Gamba Osaka. He played as a forward and later became a manager. Today, he helps young players grow as an academy manager for Gamba Osaka.
Playing Career Highlights
Masanobu Matsunami was born in Gifu, Japan, on November 21, 1974. After finishing high school, he joined Gamba Osaka in 1993. He quickly became a regular player for the team.
On November 20, 1993, just before his 19th birthday, he made history. He scored three goals in one game, known as a hat-trick, in the J1 League. This made him the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick in the league.
In 1997, Matsunami played alongside Patrick M'Boma, a famous striker. Matsunami played in all 32 matches that season and scored 13 goals. M'Boma also had a great season, scoring 25 goals.
Even in the 2000s, when younger players like Hiromi Kojima and Kota Yoshihara joined the team, Matsunami continued to play many games. He often came on as a substitute, helping the team from the bench.
In 2005, Matsunami achieved a major success with Gamba Osaka. The club won the J1 League championship for the first time in its history. They also finished second in the 2005 J.League Cup. Matsunami retired from playing at the end of the 2005 season.
Coaching Journey
After ending his playing career, Matsunami started coaching at Gamba Osaka in 2006. For several years, he mainly coached the youth teams, helping young talents develop.
In 2010, he became a coach for the main team under manager Akira Nishino. This was a step up in his coaching career.
In 2012, José Carlos Serrão took over as the new manager. However, the team's performance was not good, and Serrão was replaced in March. Matsunami then became the new manager for Gamba Osaka.
Despite his efforts, the club faced a tough season and was moved down to the J2 League. This is called being "relegated." Even though the team reached second place in the Emperor's Cup, Matsunami decided to leave his manager role at the end of 2012.
In 2014, he moved to another club, Gainare Tottori, which had also been relegated to the J3 League. He managed the team for two seasons. However, the club could not move back up to J2, and he resigned at the end of 2015.
