Shu Kurata facts for kids
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Kurata with Gamba Osaka in 2017
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Shu Kurata | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Gamba Osaka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Gamba Osaka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007– | Gamba Osaka | 402 | (72) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | → JEF United Chiba (loan) | 29 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → Cerezo Osaka (loan) | 33 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Japan | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Shu Kurata (倉田 秋, Kurata Shū, born November 26, 1988) is a Japanese international football player. He currently plays for Gamba Osaka in the J1 League, which is Japan's top football league. His main playing positions are an attacking midfielder or a winger.
Shu Kurata's Football Journey
Playing for Clubs
Shu Kurata grew up in Osaka, Japan. He joined the youth team of Gamba Osaka and worked his way up. He became part of the first-team squad in 2007. In his first year as a professional, he played 6 league matches.
The next year, in 2008, he played 21 games. Gamba Osaka won the 2008 AFC Champions League and the 2008 Emperor's Cup that year. Gamba Osaka won the Emperor's Cup again in 2009. However, Shu Kurata only played 4 times because it was hard to get into the starting team.
To get more playing time, he was sent on loan to other teams. First, he played for JEF United in 2010. Then, in 2011, he played for Cerezo Osaka, another team from his city. He scored 10 goals in 33 league games for Cerezo. This good performance brought him back to Gamba Osaka in 2012.
In 2012, Gamba Osaka finished 17th in the J1 League. This meant they went down to Japan's second league for the first time. But Shu Kurata helped them bounce back quickly. He scored 8 goals in 28 games in 2013. Gamba Osaka won the J2 League title that year.
The year 2014 was amazing for Gamba Osaka. They returned to Japan's top league. They also won three major trophies: the J1 League title, the J.League Cup, and the Emperor's Cup. Shu Kurata scored 11 goals in 47 games, which was his best record for Gamba.
In 2015, Gamba Osaka won the 2015 Japanese Super Cup and the 2015 Emperor's Cup. They beat Urawa Red Diamonds in both finals. They also reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. Shu Kurata played 55 games and scored 8 goals that year.
Between 2016 and 2018, Gamba Osaka did not win any trophies. But Shu Kurata was still a very important player for the team. He missed only 4 league games and scored 14 goals during these three seasons.
Playing for Japan
On July 23, 2015, Shu Kurata was called up to play for the Japan national team. His first game for Japan was a 1–1 draw against China on August 5, 2015.
He played again for Japan in March 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against the United Arab Emirates. He also played in two more games in June 2017, both ending in 1-1 draws.
October 2017 was a great time for him in international football. He scored in two friendly matches. First, he scored in a 2–1 win against New Zealand on October 6. Four days later, he scored again in a 3–3 draw against Haiti.
In December 2017, he was part of the squad for the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship. He started all three of Japan's games in this tournament. Japan won against North Korea and China. They lost 4–1 to South Korea in the final match, finishing as runners-up.
What He Has Won
Shu Kurata has won many important football titles with his club, Gamba Osaka:
- AFC Champions League - 2008
- Pan-Pacific Championship - 2008
- J. League Division 1 - 2014
- J. League Division 2 - 2013
- Emperor's Cup - 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015
- J. League Cup - 2007, 2014
- Japanese Super Cup - 2015
See also
In Spanish: Shū Kurata para niños
