Naohiro Takahara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Naohiro Takahara
高原 直泰

Takahara with Shimizu S-Pulse in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-06-04) 4 June 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1995–1997	Shimizu Higashi High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2002	Júbilo Iwata	105	(58)
2001	→ Boca Juniors (loan)	6	(1)
2002–2006	Hamburg	97	(13)
2006–2008	Eintracht Frankfurt	38	(12)
2008–2010	Urawa Reds	63	(10)
2010	→ Suwon Samsung Bluewings (loan)	12	(4)
2011–2012	Shimizu S-Pulse	46	(9)
2013–2014	Tokyo Verdy	41	(11)
2014–2015	SC Sagamihara	54	(11)
2016–2023	Okinawa SV	62	(30)
Total		464	(129)
National team
1995	Japan U-17	3	(1)
1998–1999	Japan U-20	16	(16)
1998–2000	Japan U-23	11	(4)
2000–2008	Japan	57	(23)
Teams managed
2016–2019	Okinawa SV
2021–2023	Okinawa SV
Honours Júbilo Iwata Winner J1 League 1999 Winner J1 League 2002 Runner-up J1 League 1998 Runner-up J1 League 2001 Winner J.League Cup 1998 Runner-up J.League Cup 2001 Shimizu S-Pulse Runner-up J.League Cup 2012 Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Gold 2000 Lebanon FIFA U-20 World Cup Silver 1999 Nigeria AFC U-19 Championship Silver 1998 Thailand AFC U-16 Championship Gold 1994 Qatar
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2023, 13:22 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Naohiro Takahara (高原 直泰, Takahara Naohiro, born 4 June 1979) is a Japanese football manager and former footballer. He was a forward, known for scoring goals. Takahara also played for Japan's national football team. Today, he is the president of Okinawa SV, a football club he helped create.

Playing for Clubs

Takahara was born in Mishima, Japan, on June 4, 1979. After finishing high school, he joined Júbilo Iwata in 1998. In his first year, his team won the J.League Cup. He even won the "New Hero" award!

In 1999, Júbilo Iwata won the J1 League and the Asian Club Championship. They also finished second in the Asian Club Championship in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. In August 2001, Takahara went to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors for a short time. He was the first Japanese player ever to play in Argentina's top league.

He returned to Júbilo Iwata in 2002. That year, the team won the 2002 J.League Division 1 again. Takahara was amazing, becoming the top scorer and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the year!

Playing in Germany

After the 2002 season, Takahara moved to Germany to play for Hamburg. He played his first game in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league) in January 2003. He was only the third Japanese player to ever play in this league. On December 3, 2006, he scored three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick.

In January 2008, he moved to another German team, Eintracht Frankfurt. He played there for a while before returning to Japan.

Back in Asia

Takahara joined Urawa Reds in Japan in 2008. In 2010, he was loaned to Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea. He played his first game there on July 31, 2010. On August 29, he scored a goal and helped his team win 4-2, earning him the MVP award for that game.

In 2011, he came back to Japan and signed with Shimizu S-Pulse. After that, he played for J2 League club Tokyo Verdy (2013–14) and J3 League club SC Sagamihara (2014–15).

Starting His Own Club

In December 2015, Takahara started his own football club called Okinawa SV. He wasn't just the club's president; he also played and was the team captain! On November 27, 2022, he helped his club get promoted to the Japan Football League for the first time. He even played in that important game as a substitute. On August 31, 2023, Takahara announced he would stop playing football at the end of that season.

Playing for Japan

Takahara played for Japan's national teams at different age levels. In August 1995, he played for the Japan U17 national team in the U-17 World Championship. He played in all three matches and scored one goal.

In April 1999, he played for the Japan U-20 national team in the World Youth Championship. He played in all seven matches and scored three goals, helping Japan finish in second place.

In February 2000, he was chosen for the senior Japan national team. He played his first game against Singapore on February 13. He scored three goals in the qualification matches, helping Japan reach the 2000 Asian Cup.

In September 2000, he played for the Japan U23 national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He scored three goals in four matches. In October, he played in the 2000 Asian Cup, scoring five goals in five matches. Japan won the championship! However, he could not play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup due to health reasons.

After the 2002 World Cup, Takahara played in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He continued to be an important player for Japan. In 2006, he played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and appeared in all three of Japan's matches. After the 2006 World Cup, he played in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. He scored four goals in six matches and was the top scorer of the tournament! He played 57 games and scored 23 goals for Japan until 2008.

2007 Asian Cup Highlights

Takahara was the top scorer at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. He scored against Qatar in the first game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. Japan won their next game against the United Arab Emirates, and Takahara scored two goals, impressing his coach.

In the quarterfinal match against Australia, Takahara scored the goal that tied the game. This sent the game to penalty kicks. Even though Takahara missed his penalty shot, Japan's goalkeeper made great saves, and Japan won! They moved on to the semifinals but lost to Saudi Arabia.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Takahara goal.

List of international goals scored by Naohiro Takahara

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 February 2000	Macau, China	Brunei		9–0	2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2
3	20 February 2000	Macau, China	Macau		3–0	2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
4	14 October 2000	Sidon, Lebanon	Saudi Arabia		4–1	2000 AFC Asian Cup
5	17 October 2000	Sidon, Lebanon	Uzbekistan		8–1	2000 AFC Asian Cup
6
7
8	24 October 2000	Beirut, Lebanon	Iraq		4–1	2000 AFC Asian Cup
9	27 March 2002	Łódź, Poland	Poland		2–0	Friendly
10	20 August 2003	Tokyo, Japan	Nigeria		3–0	Friendly
11
12	31 March 2004	Jalan Besar, Singapore	Singapore		2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	7 September 2005	Rifu, Japan	Honduras		5–4	Friendly
14	8 October 2005	Riga, Latvia	Latvia		2–2	Friendly
15	28 February 2006	Dortmund, Germany	Bosnia and Herzegovina		2–2	Friendly
16	30 May 2006	Leverkusen, Germany	Germany		2–2	Friendly
17
18	24 March 2007	Yokohama, Japan	Peru		2–0	Friendly
19	1 June 2007	Fukuroi, Japan	Montenegro		2–0	Friendly
20	9 July 2007	Hanoi, Vietnam	Qatar		1–1	2007 AFC Asian Cup
21	13 July 2007	Hanoi, Vietnam	United Arab Emirates		3–1	2007 AFC Asian Cup
22
23	21 July 2007	Hanoi, Vietnam	Australia		1–1	2007 AFC Asian Cup

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Júbilo Iwata

• AFC Champions League: 1998–99
• Asian Super Cup: 1999
• J.League Division 1: 1999, 2002
• J.League Cup: 1998
• Japanese Super Cup: 2000

Hamburger SV

• DFB-Ligapokal: 2003
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005

Okinawa SV (as player-manager)

• Kyushu Soccer League: 2019, 2021, 2022
• Japanese Regional Football Champions League : 2022 (Runner-up)

Japan U17

• AFC U-17 Championship: 1994

Japan U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1999

Japan

• AFC Asian Cup: 2000

Individual Awards

• AFC U-19 Championship top scorer: 1998
• AFC Asian Cup Best Eleven: 2000
• Selected to AFC All Star Team: 2000
• J.League Most Valuable Player: 2002
• J.League Top Scorer: 2002
• J.League Best XI: 2002
• AFC Asian Cup top scorer: 2007

See also

In Spanish: Naohiro Takahara para niños