Ryuji Kawai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ryuji Kawai
河合 竜二

Personal information
Full name	Ryuji Kawai
Date of birth	(1978-07-14) July 14, 1978 (age 47)
Place of birth	Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Defender, midfielder
Youth career
1994–1996	Seibudai High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2002	Urawa Reds	14	(0)
2003–2010	Yokohama F. Marinos	145	(9)
2011–2018	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo	179	(2)
Total		338	(11)
Medal record Urawa Reds Runner-up J.League Cup 2002 Yokohama F. Marinos Winner J1 League 2003 Winner J1 League 2004
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ryuji Kawai (河合 竜二, Kawai Ryuji), born on July 14, 1978, is a former Japanese football player. He was known for playing as a defender and midfielder during his career.

Playing Career Highlights

Ryuji Kawai was born in Itabashi, Tokyo. He started his professional football journey after finishing high school.

Starting with Urawa Reds

In 1997, Ryuji Kawai joined J1 League club Urawa Reds. For his first few years, he didn't play much in matches. At the end of the 1999 season, his club was moved down to the J2 League.

In 2000, Ryuji Kawai played his first match in May. He started playing many games as a defensive midfielder. The team did well and moved back up to the J1 League by the end of 2000. However, from 2001, he didn't get to play as much under a new coach. He left the club at the end of the 2002 season.

Success at Yokohama F. Marinos

In 2003, Ryuji Kawai joined Yokohama F. Marinos. This team had many players from the Japanese national team. He didn't play much until the summer of 2003.

Then, a key player, Naoki Matsuda, got injured. Ryuji Kawai stepped in and played many games as a center-back. His team, Marinos, went on to win the J1 League championship that year!

In 2004, he played less, but Marinos won the championship again, making it two years in a row! In 2005, he became a regular player. He played as a left-back in a three-player defense alongside Naoki Matsuda and Yuji Nakazawa.

In 2006, he played many matches as a defensive midfielder with Yoshiharu Ueno. In 2007, he played almost every match as a defensive midfielder. He only missed one game because of a suspension. In 2008, he was injured for a while but played many games from the summer onwards. From 2009, he played less often and left the team at the end of the 2010 season.

Moving to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

In 2011, Ryuji Kawai moved to J2 League club Consadole Sapporo. In 2011, he played many games as a center-back with Tatsuya Yamashita. Later in the season, he played as a defensive midfielder with Hiroki Miyazawa. Consadole finished in 3rd place and was promoted to the J1 League.

In 2012, he played as a defensive midfielder in the J1 League. However, Consadole finished last and was moved back down to J2. From 2014, he played many matches as a center-back again. In 2016, even though he played less, Consadole won the J2 championship and was promoted back to J1.

In 2018, Ryuji Kawai did not play in any matches. He decided to retire from football at the end of the 2018 season, at 40 years old.

Career Statistics

Here's a look at Ryuji Kawai's career statistics, showing how many games he played and goals he scored for each club.

Firsts in J.League

• First Appearance: May 22, 2000, playing for Urawa Reds against Omiya Ardija (Urawa Reds won 6-0) at Omiya Park Soccer Stadium.
• First Goal: April 2, 2005, playing for Yokohama F. Marinos against Albirex Niigata (Yokohama F. Marinos won 4-1) at Nissan Stadium.