Naoki Sakai facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Naoki Sakai | ||
| Date of birth | August 2, 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Nagareyama, Chiba, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder (retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994-2001 2002-2003 |
Kashiwa Reysol Consadole Sapporo |
||
| International career | |||
| 1996 | Japan | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Naoki Sakai (酒井 直樹, Sakai Naoki, born August 2, 1975) is a former Japanese football player. He was a midfielder, which means he played in the middle of the field. His job was to help both attack and defend. He played for two main clubs in Japan. He also had the honor of playing for the Japanese national team.
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Naoki Sakai's Football Journey
Naoki Sakai was born on August 2, 1975, in Nagareyama, Chiba, Japan. He grew up loving football and became a professional player. He was known for his skills as a midfielder.
Playing for Clubs
Naoki Sakai played for two different football clubs during his career. A football club is a team that plays in a league.
Kashiwa Reysol
His first big club was Kashiwa Reysol. He joined them in 1994. He played for Kashiwa Reysol for many years, until 2001. During this time, he played in the J1 League, which is Japan's top football league. He played over 150 games for the club. He scored 17 goals during his time there. This shows he was an important part of the team.
Consadole Sapporo
After leaving Kashiwa Reysol, Naoki Sakai moved to Consadole Sapporo in 2002. He played for them for two seasons. In 2002, he played in the J1 League again. In 2003, the team played in the J2 League, which is the second division. He played 27 games for Consadole Sapporo before he retired from professional football.
Playing for Japan
It's a big honor for any player to represent their country. Naoki Sakai had the chance to play for the Japanese national team. He made one appearance for the national team in 1996. Even one game for your country is a huge achievement in football!
Naoki Sakai retired from playing professional football after the 2003 season.
