Shigetatsu Matsunaga facts for kids
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Shigetatsu Matsunaga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 12 August 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
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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.
Contents
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:
- The Japan Soccer League
- The JSL Cup
- The Emperor's Cup
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 | ||||||
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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 | ||
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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
In Spanish: Shigetatsu Matsunaga para niños