Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi facts for kids
Kawaguchi with Júbilo Iwata in 2010
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 August 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Shimizu Shogyo High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2001 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 193 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Portsmouth | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Nordsjælland | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2013 | Júbilo Iwata | 228 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Gifu | 43 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Sagamihara | 43 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 527 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Japan U23 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2010 | Japan | 116 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (川口 能活, Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu, born 15 August 1975), also known as Yoshi Kawaguchi, is a famous retired Japanese football player. He was a talented goalkeeper.
Kawaguchi played most of his career in Japan's top football league, the J1 League. He also had short times playing in Europe. He played for the Japanese national team 116 times. This makes him one of the players with the most games for Japan. He was also the team's captain from 2006 to 2008. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments and helped Japan win two AFC Asian Cup titles.
Kawaguchi's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was born in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He went to Shimizu Commercial High School and was a key player on their football team. After high school, he joined a professional football club called Yokohama Marinos. This team later became known as Yokohama F. Marinos.
Playing in England: Portsmouth
Kawaguchi played very well for his club and country. This led him to join the English club Portsmouth. He signed for a club record fee of £1.8 million. However, he found it hard to get used to playing in England. The physical style of the English Football League was a big challenge for him.
He lost his starting spot to an older goalkeeper, Dave Beasant. Despite not playing much, fans still liked Kawaguchi. They admired his positive attitude and his promise to work hard. He played his last game for Portsmouth in 2003. He came on as a substitute and received a big cheer from the crowd.
Moving to Denmark: Nordsjælland
After his time in England, Kawaguchi decided to move to Denmark. He joined a team called Nordsjælland in the Danish league. He played there for a short period.
Returning Home: Júbilo Iwata
Before the 2005 Japanese football season, Kawaguchi came back to Japan. He signed with Júbilo Iwata, a strong team that often competed for titles. He played many successful seasons with them.
Playing for Japan
Early Days with the National Team (1996–2001)
Kawaguchi was chosen to play for the Japan national team. He played in the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. In one famous game, he kept a clean sheet (meaning no goals were scored against him) against Brazil.
He also played in Japan's very first FIFA World Cup game in 1998. Japan lost 1-0 to Argentina. Throughout that tournament, his amazing saves kept Japan from losing by bigger scores. In 2001, Kawaguchi was Japan's main goalkeeper. He helped the team finish second in the Confederations Cup.
Becoming Captain (2004–2006)
Kawaguchi is well-known for being great at stopping penalty kicks. He made two important saves in a penalty shootout against Jordan in the 2004 Asian Cup. He also saved a penalty from Croatia's Darijo Srna in the 2006 World Cup.
In the 2007 Asian Cup, he was a hero in Japan's quarter-final win against Australia. He saved two penalties in the shootout, earning him the "Man of the Match" award. In August 2006, he became the captain of the Japanese national team.
Later Years and World Cup (2008–2010)
Kawaguchi is Japan's most-capped (most games played) goalkeeper. He has played 116 games for Japan. In 2008, he got a serious leg injury. Many thought he would miss the 2010 World Cup. However, he recovered quickly!
Japan's coach, Takeshi Okada, decided to include him in the World Cup squad. Even though he wasn't the main goalkeeper anymore, his leadership and experience were very important to the team. Kawaguchi was named captain of the national team during training for the 2010 World Cup. After 2010, he was not chosen for the national team again.
Career Highlights
Yokohama F. Marinos
- J1 League: 1995
Portsmouth
- Football League First Division: 2002–03
Jubilo Iwata
- J. League Cup: 2010
Japan
- AFC Asian Cup: 2000, 2004
- AFC-OFC Challenge Cup: 2001
- Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 2007
Individual Awards
- J.League Rookie of the Year: 1995
- The Best 11: 2001
- AFC Best Player of the Month: June 2001
- Asian Cup All-Star Team: 2004
- J.League Best XI: 2006
- J.League Fair Play Award: 2008
- J.League 20th Anniversary Team
- J.League 30th Anniversary Team
Images for kids
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Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi playing for Júbilo Iwata in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
