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Yoshikazu Nagai
永井 良和
Personal information
Full name Yoshikazu Nagai
Date of birth (1952-04-16) April 16, 1952 (age 73)
Place of birth Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 6+12 in)
Playing position Forward
Youth career
1968–1970 Urawa Minami High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1988 Furukawa Electric 272 (63)
Total 272 (63)
National team
1971–1980 Japan 69 (9)
Teams managed
1989–1990 Japan U-20
1992–1993 JEF United Ichihara
1996 Fukushima FC
1998–2000 Albirex Niigata
2001 Yokohama FC
2006–2007 Urawa Reds Ladies
Honours
Furukawa Electric
Winner Japan Soccer League 1976
Winner Japan Soccer League 1985/86
Winner JSL Cup 1977
Winner JSL Cup 1982
Winner JSL Cup 1986
Runner-up JSL Cup 1979
Winner Emperor's Cup 1976
Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1984
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Yoshikazu Nagai (永井 良和, born April 16, 1952) is a famous former Japanese football player. He also coached several teams. His son, Shunta Nagai, also played football professionally.

Playing for Clubs

Nagai was born in Saitama, Japan, on April 16, 1952. After finishing high school, he joined the football club Furukawa Electric in 1971. This team was very successful during his time there.

  • They won the Japan Soccer League championship twice: in 1976 and again in the 1985–86 season.
  • They also won the Emperor's Cup in 1976.
  • The team won the JSL Cup three times: in 1977, 1982, and 1986.

Nagai played for Furukawa Electric until he retired in 1988. He played in 272 league games and scored 63 goals. This is a record for the most appearances in the top division of the Japan Soccer League. In 1976, he was named the Japanese Footballer of the Year. He was also chosen for the "Best Eleven" team five times, which means he was one of the best players in the league.

Playing for Japan

Yoshikazu Nagai started playing for the Japan national team when he was just 19 years old. His first game was on August 13, 1971, against Iceland.

He played in important matches like the qualification games for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Even though he didn't play for Japan in 1972, he was back for the 1974 World Cup qualification games in 1973. He also represented Japan at the 1974 and 1978 Asian Games.

His last game for Japan was during the qualification for the 1980 Summer Olympics. Japan did not qualify for those Olympics. By 1980, he had played 69 games for Japan and scored 9 goals.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Nagai became a coach. In 1988, he started coaching for his old club, Furukawa Electric, which later changed its name to JEF United Ichihara.

  • In 1989, he became the manager for the Japan U-20 national team.
  • He returned to JEF United Ichihara as manager from 1992 to 1993.
  • In 1996, he managed Fukushima FC for one season.
  • From 1998 to 2000, he managed Albirex Niigata. This club joined the new J2 League in 1999.
  • In 2001, he moved to coach Yokohama FC.
  • From 2006 to 2007, he coached the women's league team Urawa Reds Ladies in his local area.

In 2012, Yoshikazu Nagai was honored by being selected for the Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Club Statistics

Here's a look at Nagai's playing record for his club team:

Club Performance League
Season Club League Games Played Goals Scored
Japan League
1971 Furukawa Electric JSL Division 1 10 2
1972 10 0
1973 18 2
1974 18 5
1975 18 7
1976 18 5
1977 18 14
1978 18 1
1979 18 6
1980 17 3
1981 15 6
1982 10 1
1983 12 1
1984 14 5
1985/86 22 3
1986/87 14 0
1987/88 22 2
Total 272 63

National Team Statistics

This table shows how many games Nagai played and goals he scored for the Japan national team each year:

Japan National Team
Year Games Played Goals Scored
1971 4 1
1972 0 0
1973 5 0
1974 4 1
1975 11 1
1976 17 2
1977 5 0
1978 12 1
1979 9 3
1980 2 0
Total 69 9

Managerial Statistics

Here are the stats for Nagai's time as a football manager:

Team From To Record
Games Wins Draws Losses Win %
JEF United Ichihara 1993 1993 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036 &&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&038.89000038.89
Albirex Niigata 1999 2000 &&&&&&&&&&&&&076.&&&&&076 &&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034 &&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&5000046.05
Yokohama FC 2001 2001 &&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&035.48000035.48
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&0143.&&&&&0143 &&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075 &&&&&&&&&&&&&041.96000041.96

Awards and Honors

  • Japanese Footballer of the Year - 1976
  • Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2012

See also

A robot friend for learning! In Spanish: Yoshikazu Nagai para niños

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