Takuya Takagi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Takuya Takagi
高木 琢也

Takagi with Roasso Kumamoto
Personal information
Date of birth	(1967-11-12) November 12, 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth	Minamishimabara, Nagasaki, Japan
Height	1.88 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1983–1985	Kunimi High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1990–1991	Fujita Industries	15	(3)
1991–1997	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	173	(62)
1998–1999	Verdy Kawasaki	40	(11)
2000	Consadole Sapporo	17	(0)
Total		245	(76)
National team
1992–1997	Japan	44	(27)
Teams managed
2006–2007	Yokohama FC
2009	Tokyo Verdy
2010–2012	Roasso Kumamoto
2013–2018	V-Varen Nagasaki
2019–2020	Omiya Ardija
2021–2022	SC Sagamihara
Honours Sanfrecce Hiroshima Runner-up J1 League 1994 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1995 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1996 Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Gold 1992 Japan
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Takuya Takagi (高木 琢也, Takagi Takuya, born November 12, 1967) is a famous Japanese football manager and former player. He was a strong player known as a "physical forward." Japanese media and fans called him the Cannon of Asia because of his powerful playing style.

His son, Toshiya, also plays football.

Playing Career: Clubs

Takagi went to Kunimi High School and then Osaka University of Commerce. He started his professional football journey in 1990 with Fujita Industries.

Playing for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

In 1991, Takagi moved to Mazda, which later became Sanfrecce Hiroshima. He was named the JSL Young Player of the Year in 1992. He played very well with Czech player Ivan Hašek. Together, they helped Hiroshima win the second stage of the J1 League in 1994.

Moving to Other Clubs

Because of money problems, Hiroshima had to let go of some key players, including Takagi, in 1998. He then joined Verdy Kawasaki. In 2000, he moved to J2 League team Consadole Sapporo. He retired from playing football at the end of that season.

Playing Career: Japan National Team

Takagi played 44 games for the Japan national team and scored 27 goals. His first game for Japan was on May 31, 1992, against Argentina. This was the first game under the new coach, Hans Ooft.

Winning the 1992 AFC Asian Cup

He scored his first goal for Japan against China on August 24, 1992. Takagi became a key striker for Japan. He was part of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup. He scored the only goal in the final game against Saudi Arabia, helping Japan win the cup!

World Cup Qualifiers

Takagi also played in the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He couldn't play in the last important match, known as the "Agony of Doha." Japan needed to win to go to the World Cup, but a late goal from Iraq stopped their dream.

He also played in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup. He played three games and scored one goal against Syria.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Takagi worked as a football commentator on TV. He also earned a special coaching license in 2004, which allowed him to manage a J.League club.

Managing Yokohama FC

In 2006, Takagi became an assistant coach at Yokohama FC. Soon after, he became the main manager when the previous coach was let go. Some fans were worried because Takagi didn't have much coaching experience.

However, Takagi quickly showed what he could do. He led the team to an amazing start, not losing any of their first fifteen games under him. This was a new record for a new manager in the J.League! His team also set a record by not letting opponents score for 770 minutes. They even had 7 games in a row where they didn't let in any goals.

Yokohama FC, which had been struggling, won the league title and moved up to the top division, the J1 League, for the first time ever!

In 2007, the club changed many players for the J1 League season. Takagi's team beat a strong rival, but things became difficult. Key players got injured, and the team was at the bottom of the league. Takagi was let go as manager on August 27, 2007.

Managing Tokyo Verdy

In 2008, Takagi joined Tokyo Verdy as an assistant coach. The team was relegated to J2, and Takagi became the manager in 2009. However, he was let go in October due to poor team performance.

Managing Roasso Kumamoto

He became the manager of Roasso Kumamoto in 2010 and stayed until the end of the 2012 season.

Managing V-Varen Nagasaki

On December 20, 2012, Takagi was announced as the manager for his local club, V-Varen Nagasaki. The club had just been promoted to the J2 League. In 2017, his team finished second and was promoted to the J1 League for the first time in their history! In 2018, the club brought in some players who were Takagi's younger teammates from high school. However, the team finished last and was relegated back to J2. Takagi resigned at the end of the 2018 season.

Managing Omiya Ardija

In 2019, Takagi signed with the J2 club Omiya Ardija.

Career Statistics: Playing

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

International Goals for Japan

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 August 1992	Beijing, China	China	2–0	2–0	1992 Dynasty Cup
2.	26 August 1992		North Korea	2–1	4–1
3.				3–1
4.	29 August 1992		South Korea	2–1	2–2 (aet) (4–2 p)
5.	8 November 1992	Hiroshima, Japan	Saudi Arabia	1–0	1–0	1992 AFC Asian Cup
6.	11 April 1993	Tokyo, Japan	Bangladesh	2–0	8–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.				6–0
8.	15 April 1993		Sri Lanka	1–0	5–0
9.				4–0
10.	18 April 1993		United Arab Emirates	2–0	2–0
11.	30 April 1993	Dubai, UAE	Bangladesh	4–1	4–1
12.	5 May 1994		Sri Lanka	4–0	6–0
13.	5 October 1994	Hiroshima, Japan	Qatar	1–1	1–1	1994 Asian Games
14.	9 October 1994	Onomichi, Japan	Myanmar	2–0	5–0
15.	10 February 1996	Wollongong, Australia	Australia	2–0	4–1	Friendly
16.				3–0
17.	19 February 1996	Causeway Bay, Hong Kong	Poland	2–0	5–0	1996 Lunar New Year Cup
18.				5–0
19.	25 August 1996	Osaka, Japan	Uruguay	3–?	5–3	Friendly
20.	6 December 1996	Al Ain, UAE	Syria	2–1	2–1	1996 AFC Asian Cup
21.	25 March 1997	Muscat, Oman	Macau	2–0	10–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
22.				3–0
23.				6–0
24.	27 March 1997		Nepal	2–0	6–0
25.				3–0
26.				5–0
27.	8 November 1997	Tokyo, Japan	Kazakhstan	5–1	5–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial Statistics

This table shows Takuya Takagi's record as a football manager.

Honors and Achievements

Japan National Team

• 1992 Asian Cup: Won the championship
• Dynasty Cup: Won in 1992

Individual Awards

• Dynasty Cup top scorer: 1992

See also

In Spanish: Takuya Takagi para niños