Masashi Watanabe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Masashi Watanabe
渡辺 正

Personal information
Full name	Masashi Watanabe
Date of birth	(1936-01-11)January 11, 1936
Place of birth	Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Empire of Japan
Date of death	December 7, 1995(1995-12-07) (aged 59)
Place of death	Chiba, Chiba, Japan
Height	1.70 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1951	Sotoku High School
1951–1953	Hiroshima Motomachi High School
1958–1961	Rikkyo University
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1954–1958	Yawata Steel
1962–1971	Nippon Steel	79	(19)
Total		79	(19)
National team
1958–1969	Japan	39	(12)
Teams managed
1969–1975	Nippon Steel
1980	Japan
Honours Nippon Steel Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1965 Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1966 Winner Emperor's Cup 1964 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1956 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1968 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1965 Representing  Japan Olympic Games Bronze 1968 Mexico City Team Asian Games Bronze 1966 Bangkok Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Masashi Watanabe (born January 11, 1936 – died December 7, 1995) was a famous Japanese football player and manager. He was known for playing as a forward. He played for the Japan national team and later became their manager.

Playing Career: Masashi Watanabe's Club Journey

Masashi Watanabe was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on January 11, 1936. After finishing high school, he joined a football club called Yawata Steel in 1954. This club later changed its name to Nippon Steel.

In 1958, he left Yawata Steel to study at Rikkyo University. After he graduated from university, he returned to Yawata Steel in 1962. In 1965, his team joined a new league called the Japan Soccer League. Masashi Watanabe played for the club until he retired in 1971. He played 79 games and scored 19 goals in the league. In 1968, he was chosen as one of the best players in the league, making it to the Best Eleven team.

National Team: Playing for Japan

Masashi Watanabe started playing for the Japan national team on December 25, 1958. At that time, he was still a student at Rikkyo University. His first game was against Hong Kong.

He represented Japan in two major events:

• The 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo.
• The 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

At the 1968 Olympics, he played 5 games and scored 2 goals. One goal was against Brazil and the other against France. Japan's team won a Bronze Medal at these Olympics, which was a big achievement. In 2018, this successful team was honored and added to the Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Watanabe also played for Japan in the 1962 and 1966 Asian Games. He played a total of 39 games for Japan and scored 12 goals before he stopped playing for the national team in 1969.

Coaching Career: Leading the Teams

In 1969, while still playing for Yawata Steel, Masashi Watanabe also became the team's manager. This means he was a playing manager, playing and coaching at the same time. He managed the club until 1975.

Later, in 1979, he became an assistant coach for the Japan national team. He worked under the main manager, Yukio Shimomura. In April 1980, after Japan did not qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics, Shimomura resigned. In May, Masashi Watanabe was chosen to be the new manager of the Japan national team. However, he had to step down in December due to health reasons, and Saburo Kawabuchi took over.

Masashi Watanabe passed away on December 7, 1995, in Chiba when he was 59 years old. In 2006, he was honored again and selected for the Japan Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to Japanese football.

National Team Statistics

This table shows how many games Masashi Watanabe played and how many goals he scored for the Japan national team each year.

Awards and Honors

• Japan Soccer League Best Eleven: 1968

See also

In Spanish: Masashi Watanabe para niños