Shinji Okazaki facts for kids
Okazaki with Japan at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Shinji Okazaki | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1986 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Takigawa Daini High School | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 121 | (42) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | VfB Stuttgart | 63 | (10) | ||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Mainz 05 | 65 | (27) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Leicester City | 114 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 2019 | Málaga | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Huesca | 62 | (13) | ||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Cartagena | 32 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Sint-Truiden | 37 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 494 | (109) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Japan U23 | 14 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2019 | Japan | 119 | (50) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Shinji Okazaki (born on April 16, 1986) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals. He is most famous for helping Leicester City win the Premier League in 2016. This was a huge surprise in football history!
Shinji Okazaki also played a lot for the Japanese national team. He is Japan's third all-time top goalscorer, with 50 goals for his country.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Shinji Okazaki played for several football clubs in Japan, Germany, England, and Spain during his career.
Starting Out in Japan: Shimizu S-Pulse
After finishing high school in 2004, Okazaki joined Shimizu S-Pulse, a professional team in Japan. He made his first appearance in the J.League in December 2005. His first professional goal came in April 2007. In his first full season, he scored three goals in 13 matches.
He continued to score more goals in the following seasons. In 2008, he scored ten goals and played in the J. League Cup Final. His strong performances led to him moving to a German club in 2011.
Playing in Germany: VfB Stuttgart and Mainz 05
In January 2011, Okazaki moved to VfB Stuttgart in Germany. He quickly started playing for them, even in a Europa League match. He scored his first goal for Stuttgart against Hannover 96.
One of his most memorable goals was a bicycle kick in February 2012, also against Hannover 96. This amazing goal was chosen as the "Goal of the Month" in Germany! He was only the second Japanese player to win this award. In 2013, he scored his first goals in European competitions, scoring twice in the Europa League.
Later, in July 2013, Okazaki joined Mainz 05. He scored on his very first game for Mainz, against his old club Stuttgart. By September 2014, he became the Japanese player with the most goals ever in the Bundesliga, Germany's top league.
Premier League Glory: Leicester City
In June 2015, Okazaki moved to England to play for Leicester City in the Premier League. This was a big step for him. He scored his first goal for the club in his second game.
On March 14, 2016, Okazaki scored a fantastic overhead kick goal against Newcastle United. This goal helped Leicester City win 1–0 and put them five points clear at the top of the league. Leicester City then went on to win the Premier League title that year! This was an incredible achievement, as very few people expected them to win. Okazaki became only the second Japanese player to win the Premier League. For his great play, he was named the "Asian International Player of the Year" in December 2016.
In the 2016–17 season, Okazaki continued to score important goals. He scored twice in a cup game against Chelsea and also scored in the UEFA Champions League, which is Europe's biggest club competition. He was the sixth Japanese player to score a Champions League goal. He left Leicester City at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Later Career: Spain and Belgium
After Leicester, Okazaki had short spells with clubs in Spain. He signed with Málaga CF in July 2019, but his contract was canceled quickly because of budget rules. He then joined Huesca in September 2019. He helped Huesca get promoted to La Liga, Spain's top league, by scoring 12 goals. He stayed with Huesca for another year.
In August 2021, he moved to FC Cartagena in Spain's second division. His final club was Sint-Truiden in Belgium, which he joined in August 2022. Shinji Okazaki announced in February 2024 that he would retire from playing football at the end of the 2023–24 season.
International Career for Japan
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Before playing for the senior national team, Okazaki played for Japan's under-23 team in the 2008 Olympic Games in China. He made his debut for the senior Japanese national team in October 2008. His first goal for Japan came in January 2009.
In October 2009, Okazaki scored three goals in two different matches, which is called a hat-trick. He scored against Hong Kong and Togo. Because of his 15 goals for the national team that year, he was named "The World's Top Goal Scorer of 2009" by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics).
Okazaki played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and scored a goal against Denmark, helping Japan reach the second round. In October 2010, he scored the only goal as Japan beat Argentina 1–0, which was Japan's first-ever win against the former world champions.
He scored another hat-trick in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup against Saudi Arabia. Japan went on to win the tournament, beating Australia in the final. Okazaki was a top goalscorer in the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also scored twice in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he scored Japan's only goal in a match against Colombia.
In March 2016, Okazaki played his 100th international game for Japan. He is currently the third all-time top goalscorer for the Japan national team, with 50 international goals.
Managerial Career
Shinji Okazaki also helped start a German football club called Basara Mainz in 2014. He is now an adviser for the club. The club started in a very low league (tier 11) and has since been promoted several times, reaching tier 6 in 2019.
Honours and Achievements
Shinji Okazaki has won several awards and trophies throughout his football career.
- VfB Stuttgart
- DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2012–13
- Leicester City
- Premier League: 2015–16
- SD Huesca
- Segunda División: 2019–20
- Japan National Team
- AFC Asian Cup: 2011
- Kirin Cup: 2009, 2011
- Individual Awards
- J.League Best XI: 2009
- IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer: 2009
- AFC International Footballer of the Year: 2016
- Best Footballer in Asia: 2016
Images for kids
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Okazaki with Japan at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
See also
In Spanish: Shinji Okazaki para niños
