Seigo Narazaki facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Seigo Narazaki | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kashiba, Nara, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Nara Ikuei High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Yokohama Flügels | 104 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2018 | Nagoya Grampus | 556 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 660 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Japan Olympic (O.P.) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2010 | Japan | 77 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Seigo Narazaki (楢﨑 正剛, Narazaki Seigō, born 15 April 1976) is a famous Japanese former footballer. He played as a goalkeeper, protecting his team's goal. He was also a key player for the Japan national team.
Narazaki is known for playing in many matches in the J.League. He has the second-highest number of appearances in the league's history, with 631 games played.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting with Yokohama Flügels
Seigo Narazaki began his professional football journey in 1995. After finishing high school, he joined a team called Yokohama Flügels in the J1 League.
- First Games: In August 1995, the team's main goalkeeper was suspended. Narazaki, still very young, got his chance to play. He made his debut on August 16, 1995, and quickly became the team's regular goalkeeper.
- Early Success: In the 1996 season, his team, Flügels, finished in third place in the league. Narazaki was recognized for his great skills and was chosen for the "Best Eleven" award, which means he was one of the top players in the league that year.
- Winning a Cup: He helped his team win the 1998 Emperor's Cup, a big football tournament in Japan.
- Team Change: Sadly, after the 1998 season, the Yokohama Flügels team was combined with another team and stopped existing.
Moving to Nagoya Grampus
In 1999, Narazaki moved to a new team called Nagoya Grampus Eight (now known as Nagoya Grampus).
- Another Cup Win: In his first year with Nagoya Grampus, they won the 1999 Emperor's Cup. This was Narazaki's second time winning this cup in a row!
- New Coach, New Success: In 2008, a new coach, Dragan Stojković, joined Grampus. Under his leadership, the team finished third in the J1 League. Narazaki again earned a spot in the "Best Eleven" team.
- League Champions: The biggest moment came in 2010 when Nagoya Grampus won the J1 League for the very first time in the club's history. Narazaki was a huge part of this victory. He even became the first goalkeeper ever to win the J.League Most Valuable Player award, showing how important he was to his team.
- Later Years: In 2016, Grampus faced a tough season and was moved down to the J2 League. They quickly returned to the top league in 2017. However, as he got older, Narazaki played less often.
- Retirement: Seigo Narazaki announced he was retiring from football on January 8, 2019, at the age of 42.
Playing for Japan
Early International Career
Seigo Narazaki first played for the Japan national team on February 15, 1998, against Australia. For many years, he competed with another great goalkeeper, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, for the starting spot.
- World Cup Debut: He was chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. However, Kawaguchi played in all of Japan's matches during that tournament.
- Olympic Games: In 2000, Narazaki was part of the Japan U23 national team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. He played every minute of all four matches.
- 2002 World Cup Hero: At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which Japan co-hosted, Narazaki played in all four matches. Japan made history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time ever!
Later International Career
Narazaki was Japan's main goalkeeper until mid-2004.
- Asian Cup: He was selected for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, but an injury kept him from playing. His rival, Kawaguchi, played very well, and Japan won the championship. After this, Narazaki lost his regular starting position to Kawaguchi.
- More World Cups: He was also chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup but did not play in any matches.
- Return to Form: In 2008, Narazaki became the regular goalkeeper again because Kawaguchi was injured.
- Final World Cup: Narazaki was named in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This was his fourth World Cup, making him one of only two Japanese players (the other being Kawaguchi) to achieve this. Even though he played well in the qualifying games, a younger goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, was chosen to start in the tournament.
- Last Game: Narazaki played his last game for Japan on September 7, 2010. He was the team captain in a 2-1 win against Guatemala. He played a total of 77 games for his country.
Honors and Awards
Club Achievements
Yokohama Flügels
- Emperor's Cup: 1998
Nagoya Grampus
- J1 League: 2010
- Emperor's Cup: 1999
- Japanese Super Cup: 2011
International Achievements
Japan
- AFC Asian Cup: 2004
Individual Awards
- J.League Most Valuable Player: 2010
- J.League Best Eleven: 1996, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011
See also
In Spanish: Seigō Narazaki para niños
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