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Shigetatsu Matsunaga
松永 成立
Shigetatsu Matsunaga Nissan SC (cropped).jpg
Personal information
Full name Shigetatsu Matsunaga
Date of birth (1962-08-12) 12 August 1962 (age 62)
Place of birth Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Yokohama Marinos (goalkeeper coach)
Youth career
1978–1980 Hamana High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1995 Yokohama Marinos 334 (0)
1995–1996 Tosu Futures 54 (0)
1997 Brummell Sendai 15 (0)
1997–2000 Kyoto Purple Sanga 85 (0)
Total 488 (0)
National team
1988–1995 Japan 40 (0)
Honours
Nissan Motors / Yokohama Marinos
Winner Japan Soccer League 1988/89
Winner Japan Soccer League 1989/90
Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1990/91
Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1991/92
Winner J1 League 1995
Winner JSL Cup 1988
Winner JSL Cup 1989
Winner JSL Cup 1990
Runner-up JSL Cup 1985
Runner-up JSL Cup 1986
Winner Emperor's Cup 1985
Winner Emperor's Cup 1988
Winner Emperor's Cup 1989
Winner Emperor's Cup 1991
Winner Emperor's Cup 1992
Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1990
Representing  Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Gold 1992 Japan
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Shigetatsu Matsunaga (松永 成立, Shigetatsu Matsunaga, born 12 August 1962) is a famous Japanese football player and coach. He used to be a goalkeeper, which is the player who protects the goal. Today, he works as a goalkeeper coach for the J1 League club, Yokohama Marinos.

Playing for Clubs

Shigetatsu Matsunaga went to Hamana High School and then Aichi Gakuin University. He played football for both schools. After finishing university in 1985, he joined a team called Nissan Motors. This team later became known as Yokohama Marinos.

Early Success with Nissan Motors

In his first year, his team won the 1985 Emperor's Cup. This was a great start to his career! From 1988 to 1990, his team was super strong. They won three big titles in Japan two years in a row:

In the early 1990s, they kept winning. They won the 1990 JSL Cup, the 1991 Emperor's Cup, and the 1992 Emperor's Cup. They also won the 1991–92 Asian Cup Winners' Cup in Asia.

Joining the J1 League

In 1993, Japan started its first professional football league, called the J1 League. Nissan Motors changed its name to Yokohama Marinos. Shigetatsu Matsunaga continued to play as their goalkeeper. The team won the 1992 Emperor's Cup and the 1992–93 Asian Cup Winners' Cup around this time.

Later, a younger goalkeeper named Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi started playing very well. He took Matsunaga's spot as the main goalkeeper for the team and the national team.

Moving to Other Teams

In 1995, Matsunaga moved to a team called Tosu Futures in the Japan Football League (JFL). In 1997, he moved to another JFL team, Brummell Sendai.

He returned to the J1 League in 1998 to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga. He played there for three seasons. Shigetatsu Matsunaga stopped playing professional football in the year 2000.

Playing for Japan's National Team

Shigetatsu Matsunaga played for the Japan national team 40 times between 1988 and 1995. He was the main goalkeeper when Japan won the 1992 Asian Cup. This was a huge win for Japan!

A Difficult Moment

During the semi-final match against China in the 1992 Asian Cup, Matsunaga was sent off the field. This happened because he reacted to another player. After he left the game, Kazuya Maekawa took his place for the rest of the tournament.

Matsunaga was also the goalkeeper during a very sad game for Japanese fans. This game was the final match to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Japan needed to win, but Iraq scored a goal very late in the game. This meant Japan could not go to the World Cup. Japanese fans still call this game the "Agony of Doha".

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing football, Shigetatsu Matsunaga became a coach. From 2001 to 2006, he was a goalkeeping coach for Kyoto Purple Sanga. Today, he is a goalkeeping coach for Yokohama F. Marinos, the same club he played for earlier in his career.

Club Statistics

Here are Matsunaga's playing statistics for his clubs:

Club performance League Cup League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Japan League Emperor's Cup J.League Cup Total
1985/86 Nissan Motors JSL Division 1 15 0 15 0
1986/87 22 0 22 0
1987/88 22 0 22 0
1988/89 21 0 21 0
1989/90 22 0 4 0 26 0
1990/91 22 0 4 0 26 0
1991/92 21 0 3 0 24 0
1992 Yokohama Marinos J1 League - 4 0 9 0 13 0
1993 36 0 3 0 0 0 39 0
1994 43 0 4 0 3 0 50 0
1995 10 0 0 0 - 10 0
1995 Tosu Futures Football League 24 0 1 0 - 25 0
1996 30 0 3 0 - 33 0
1997 Brummell Sendai Football League 15 0 0 0 6 0 21 0
1997 Kyoto Purple Sanga J1 League 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
1998 34 0 2 0 4 0 40 0
1999 30 0 2 0 3 1 35 1
2000 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Total 488 0 19 0 36 1 543 1

National Team Statistics

Here are Matsunaga's playing statistics for the Japan national team:

Japan national team
Year Apps Goals
1988 1 0
1989 9 0
1990 0 0
1991 1 0
1992 9 0
1993 14 0
1994 0 0
1995 6 0
Total 40 0

Awards and Honours

Shigetatsu Matsunaga received several awards during his football career.

Personal Awards

  • J.League Best XI – 1993 (This means he was chosen as one of the best 11 players in the J.League that year!)
  • J.League Meritoriousness Player Award – 2000 (This award is for players who have shown great dedication and skill.)

Team Honours

Matsunaga's teams also won many important competitions:

With Japan National Team

  • AFC Asian Cup – 1992 (Japan won this big tournament when he was the goalkeeper!)

With Nissan Motors / Yokohama Marinos

  • Asian Cup Winners' Cup – 1991/92, 1992/93 (They won this cup twice in a row!)
  • Japan Soccer League Division 1 – 1988/89, 1989/90 (They were champions of Japan's top league.)
  • Emperor's Cup – 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 (They won this important cup five times!)
  • JSL Cup – 1988, 1989, 1990 (They won this league cup three times!)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Shigetatsu Matsunaga para niños

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