Nozomi Hiroyama facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 6, 1975 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Narashino High School | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | JEF United Ichihara | 120 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | Cerro Porteño | 29 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | Sport Recife | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Braga | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Montpellier | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Tokyo Verdy | 79 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | → Cerezo Osaka (loan) | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Thespa Kusatsu | 73 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Richmond Kickers | 39 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 370 | (29) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Japan U-20 | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | Japan | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Nozomi Hiroyama (廣山 望, Hiroyama Nozomi, born June 6, 1975) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, which means he helped both defense and attack on the field. Hiroyama had a long career, playing over 400 games in total. He played for teams in many different countries, including Japan, France, Portugal, Paraguay, Brazil, and the United States. He also played two games for the Japan national team. Hiroyama made history by being the first Japanese footballer to play in the Copa Libertadores, a very important football competition in South America.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Nozomi Hiroyama played for many different football clubs around the world during his career. He started his journey in Japan, then moved to South America and Europe, before returning to Japan and later playing in the United States.
Playing in Japan
Hiroyama started his professional career with his hometown team, JEF United Ichihara, in Japan's top league, the J1 League. He played there for four years, from 1996 to 2000. During this time, he helped his team reach the final of the J.League Cup in 1998. He played 120 games for JEF United Ichihara and scored 20 goals. His physical trainer at JEF United was from Paraguay, and this connection helped him get an amazing chance to play football in South America.
Adventures in South America
Playing for Cerro Porteño
In 2001, Hiroyama moved to Paraguay to play for Cerro Porteño. This was a big step for him because he became the first Japanese footballer to play and score in the Copa Libertadores. This is a huge tournament for clubs in South America, similar to the Champions League in Europe. He played for Cerro Porteño for about a year and a half. He even won a championship with Cerro Porteño in 2001.
While playing for Cerro Porteño, Hiroyama scored 3 goals in 27 league games. He also scored 2 goals in 7 games during the 2001 Copa Libertadores. One memorable game was on March 22, 2001, when he scored two goals in a 4-0 win against Sport Boys Callao. He also played in the 2001 Copa Mercosur, another South American competition.
Time with Sport Recife
After his time in Paraguay, Hiroyama moved to Brazil to join Sport Recife in 2002. However, he didn't get to play any senior games for the team. He soon decided to move to Europe to continue his football journey.
European Experience
Hiroyama signed with Braga in Portugal in 2002. He played 8 games for them before moving to France to play for Montpellier. In France, he also found it hard to get a regular spot in the main team. After playing 7 games for Montpellier, he decided to return to Japan in 2004.
Back to Japan
When Hiroyama returned to Japan, he quickly joined Tokyo Verdy. He helped his new team win the 2004 Emperor's Cup, which is a major football trophy in Japan. He also played in the 2006 AFC Champions League, a big competition for clubs in Asia. Even though he played well, his team was moved down to a lower league (J2) that same year. He played 79 league games and scored 11 goals for Tokyo Verdy. In 2005, he had a short loan spell at Cerezo Osaka. Later, in 2009, he moved to another J2 team, Thespa Kusatsu.
Playing in the United States
On March 16, 2011, Hiroyama signed with the Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division in the United States. He made his first appearance for them on April 9, 2011. He played for the Richmond Kickers until August 17, 2012, when he announced that he was retiring from professional football.
International Career
Nozomi Hiroyama also represented his country, Japan, in football.
Youth National Team
In June 1997, Hiroyama was chosen to play for the Japan U-20 national team. He played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played 4 games as a right midfielder and even scored a goal against Paraguay in that tournament.
Senior National Team
On October 4, 2001, Hiroyama made his debut for the Japan national team in a game against Senegal. A few days later, on October 7, he also played against Nigeria. These were the two games he played for Japan in 2001.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Hiroyama continued to be involved in football. In 2020, he became the second coach for Japan's under-16 national team, helping to train the next generation of young footballers.
Personal Life
During his time playing in Paraguay, Hiroyama really enjoyed trying local foods like Sopa paraguaya (a type of savory cake) and Empanadas (tasty filled pastries). He also loved drinking lots of Terere, which is a cold herbal tea popular in Paraguay. He even carried a special kit to keep drinking it! He also learned a few words of Guarani, the native language of Paraguay.
See also
In Spanish: Nozomi Hiroyama para niños
