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Toru Oniki
鬼木 達
Personal information
Full name Toru Oniki
Date of birth (1974-04-20) 20 April 1974 (age 51)
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
Kashima Antlers
Winner J1 League 1996
Runner-up J1 League 1993
Runner-up J1 League 1997
Winner J.League Cup 1997
Runner-up J.League Cup 1999
Winner Emperor's Cup 1997
Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1993
Kawasaki Frontale
Runner-up J1 League 2006
Runner-up J.League Cup 2000
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

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.

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

As a Manager

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tōru Oniki para niños

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