Toru Oniki facts for kids
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Toru Oniki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 20 April 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Funabashi, Chiba, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.68 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current club | Kashima Antlers (manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990–1992 | Funabashi High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1999 | Kashima Antlers | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998 | → Kawasaki Frontale (loan) | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2006 | Kawasaki Frontale | 133 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 187 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017–2024 | Kawasaki Frontale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025– | Kashima Antlers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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Toru Oniki (鬼木 達, Oniki Tōru, born April 20, 1974) is a Japanese football manager and former player. He was born on April 20, 1974. He is currently the manager of the J1 League club, Kashima Antlers.
Contents
Toru Oniki's Football Journey
Toru Oniki has had a long and successful career in Japanese football. He started as a player and later became a very successful manager. He is known for his time with two major clubs: Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale.
Playing Days
Oniki was born in Funabashi, Japan. After finishing high school, he joined Kashima Antlers in 1993. He played as a defensive midfielder. This position helps protect the team's goal. However, it was hard for him to become a regular player. This was because of other strong players like Jorginho.
In 1998, Oniki moved to Kawasaki Frontale. He played there on a loan. A loan means he played for them for a short time. He became a regular player for Kawasaki Frontale. The team finished in second place that year.
In 1999, he went back to Kashima Antlers. But he still did not play many games. So, in 2000, he moved back to Kawasaki Frontale. This time, Kawasaki Frontale had just been promoted to the J1 League. He played many matches and helped the team reach second place in the 2000 J.League Cup.
Even though the team was moved down to the J2 League in 2001, Oniki became a key player. He played regularly for several seasons. From 2003, he played less often. But in 2004, his team won the league and moved back up to J1. He played very few games from 2005. Oniki retired from playing football at the end of the 2006 season.
Coaching and Managing
After he stopped playing, Oniki started coaching. He joined Kawasaki Frontale as a coach in 2007. He worked as a coach for the main team until 2016.
In 2017, Toru Oniki became the manager of Kawasaki Frontale. This was a big step in his career. Under his leadership, Frontale won the 2017 J1 League. They also came in second place in the 2017 Emperor's Cup.
He continued to lead the team to great success. In 2018, Frontale won the 2018 J1 League again. They won the J1 League for two years in a row. He also led them to win the J1 League in 2020 and 2021. This made them one of the strongest teams in Japan.
Oniki announced that he would leave Kawasaki Frontale at the end of the 2024 season. His contract was ending. He then announced that he would become the official manager of his former club, Kashima Antlers. He will start this new role in the 2025 season.
What He Won
Toru Oniki has won many awards both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
- With Kashima Antlers
- J1 League:
- Winner: 1996
- Runner-up: 1993, 1997
- J.League Cup:
- Winner: 1997
- Runner-up: 1999
- Emperor's Cup:
- Winner: 1997
- Runner-up: 1993
- J1 League:
- With Kawasaki Frontale
- J1 League:
- Runner-up: 2006
- J.League Cup:
- Runner-up: 2000
- J1 League:
As a Manager
- With Kawasaki Frontale
- J1 League: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021
- Emperor's Cup: 2020, 2023
- J.League Cup: 2019
- Japanese Super Cup: 2019, 2021, 2024
See also
In Spanish: Tōru Oniki para niños