Ryūichi Sugiyama facts for kids
.jpg)
Sugiyama at the 1964 Olympics
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryuichi Sugiyama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | July 4, 1941 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1960 | Shimizu Higashi High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1973 | Mitsubishi Motors | 115 | (41) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 115 | (41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1971 | Japan | 56 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1987 | Yamaha Motors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryuichi Sugiyama (杉山 隆一, Sugiyama Ryūichi, born July 4, 1941) is a famous Japanese former professional football player and manager. He was a forward, which means he played in an attacking position. He also played for the Japan national team.
Playing for Clubs
Ryuichi Sugiyama was born in Shizuoka, Japan. After finishing his studies at Meiji University, he joined the Japan Soccer League club Mitsubishi Motors in 1966.
His team, Mitsubishi Motors, won the championship in 1969 and again in 1973. They also won the Emperor's Cup in 1971 and 1973.
Sugiyama played for 8 seasons and was a very important player. He played almost every game during his time there. He was also chosen as one of the best players in the league every single season. People thought he was the best Japanese Footballer three times: in 1964, 1969, and 1973. He stopped playing football in 1973.
Playing for Japan
Sugiyama first played for the Japan national team on May 28, 1961. This was even before he joined his club team.
He played in two Summer Olympics. He was part of the team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. There, he played 3 games and scored 2 goals. He scored against Argentina and Ghana.
He also played at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. In this tournament, he played 6 matches and helped his teammates score 5 goals. Japan won a bronze medal, which was a huge achievement! In 2018, this amazing team was honored in the Japan Football Hall of Fame.
Sugiyama also played in the Asian Games in 1962, 1966, and 1970. His last game for Japan was in 1971 during the qualification matches for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Japan did not qualify that year. In total, he played 56 games for Japan and scored 15 goals.
Becoming a Coach
After he stopped playing, Sugiyama became a manager. In 1974, he started coaching Yamaha Motors. He helped this club move up to the top division of the Japan Soccer League.
He was the manager for Yamaha Motors for a long time, from 1974 to 1987. This makes him their longest-serving manager ever.
In 2005, Ryuichi Sugiyama was recognized for his great career and was chosen for the Japan Football Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made a big impact on Japanese football.
Awards and Achievements
Ryuichi Sugiyama received many awards during his career:
- Japanese Football Player of the Year: He won this award three times (1964, 1969, 1973).
- Japan Soccer League Best Eleven: He was chosen as one of the best 11 players in the league for all 8 seasons he played (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973).
- Japan Soccer League Silver Ball (Assist Leader): He led the league in assists three times (1968, 1969, 1971).
- Asian All Stars: He was named an Asian All Star in 1967 and 1968.
- Japan Football Hall of Fame: He was added to the Hall of Fame in 2005.
