Yoshito Ōkubo facts for kids
Okubo in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 June 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kanda, Fukuoka, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Kunimi High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Cerezo Osaka | 87 | (39) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Mallorca (loan) | 39 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Vissel Kobe | 62 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | VfL Wolfsburg | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Vissel Kobe | 92 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Kawasaki Frontale | 130 | (82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | FC Tokyo | 28 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Kawasaki Frontale | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Júbilo Iwata | 37 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Tokyo Verdy | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Cerezo Osaka | 29 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 544 | (196) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Japan U23 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2014 | Japan | 60 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshito Okubo (大久保 嘉人, Ōkubo Yoshito, born 9 June 1982) is a famous Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a main goal scorer for his teams. Yoshito Okubo was a key player for the Japanese national team, scoring six goals in 60 games. He was also the top scorer in Japan's J.League for three years in a row, from 2013 to 2015. He was even chosen for the J.League's "Best XI" team during those years, showing he was one of the best players.
Contents
Yoshito Okubo's Club Journey
Starting with Cerezo Osaka
Yoshito Okubo was born in Kanda, Fukuoka on June 9, 1982. After finishing high school, he joined the J1 League club Cerezo Osaka in 2001. He quickly started playing many games as a forward or an offensive midfielder. An offensive midfielder helps attack and score goals.
In his first year, Cerezo Osaka finished last in the 2001 season and moved down to the J2 League. But in 2002, Yoshito scored 18 goals, helping Cerezo finish second. This meant they moved back up to the J1 League the next year. From 2003, he kept scoring more than 15 goals each season in the J1 League. In 2003, he was also named the Asian Young Footballer of the Year.
Playing in Spain with Mallorca
In 2005, Yoshito Okubo went to Spain to play for La Liga club Mallorca. He joined them on a loan, which means he played for them for a short time. Even though the team had a tough season, Mallorca managed to stay in La Liga. He played many games, often coming in as a substitute. However, his playing time became less from April 2006.
Returning to Japan
In June 2006, Yoshito Okubo came back to Cerezo Osaka. At that time, Cerezo was struggling, having won only one of 13 matches. Even with Yoshito playing almost every game, Cerezo finished near the bottom and was moved down to the J2 League again.
Time with Vissel Kobe and VfL Wolfsburg
In 2007, Yoshito moved to another J1 club, Vissel Kobe. He played as a left midfielder for two seasons and scored more than ten goals each year.
On January 3, 2009, Vissel Kobe announced that Yoshito would move to VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. Wolfsburg plays in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. After only six months, he returned to Vissel Kobe. When he came back, he was the first Japanese forward to have won the Bundesliga title.
Back to Vissel Kobe and Kawasaki Frontale
Yoshito rejoined Vissel Kobe in June 2009. He played all 19 matches as a forward and scored 8 goals that season. Even though injuries sometimes kept him from playing, he was a regular player until 2012. However, Vissel Kobe finished low in the 2012 season and was moved down to the J2 League.
After Vissel Kobe moved to the J2 League, Yoshito Okubo joined Kawasaki Frontale in 2013. He was a constant player for Kawasaki, always in the starting team. He scored 26 goals in his first season there, becoming the top scorer in the J1 League for 2013. He continued to be the top scorer for three years in a row, until the 2015 season.
Later Club Years
At the end of the 2016 season, Yoshito announced he would leave Kawasaki Frontale to play for FC Tokyo in 2017. He played one season there and scored eight goals.
In 2018, Yoshito Okubo rejoined Kawasaki Frontale. However, he did not play as often as before and was mostly a substitute forward. In June 2018, he moved to Júbilo Iwata. He later played for Tokyo Verdy in 2020 and returned to Cerezo Osaka in 2021 before ending his professional career.
Yoshito Okubo's International Career
Playing for Japan
In 2003, Yoshito Okubo was chosen to play for the Japan national team. He played his first international game on May 31, 2003, against South Korea. He played many games as a forward in 2003. However, his chances to play became less from 2004.
Yoshito was also part of the Japan U-23 national team for the 2004 Summer Olympics. His team did not make it past the first round.
In August 2007, Yoshito was selected for the Japan team again after two years. He scored his first goal for Japan on October 17, 2007, in a friendly game against Egypt.
World Cup Appearances
In 2010, Yoshito Okubo was chosen to play for Japan in the 2010 World Cup. He played as a left midfielder in all four matches. Japan did very well and made it to the knockout stage of the tournament.
His selection for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was a big surprise. He had only played once for the coach in the four years before the tournament.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cerezo Osaka | 2001 | J1 League | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2002 | J2 League | 29 | 18 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 19 | ||||
| 2003 | J1 League | 24 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 20 | |||
| 2004 | 22 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 15 | ||||
| Total | 95 | 51 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 112 | 57 | ||||
| Mallorca (loan) | 2004–05 | La Liga | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 6 | |||||
| Cerezo Osaka | 2006 | J1 League | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 6 | ||
| Vissel Kobe | 2007 | J1 League | 31 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 15 | ||
| 2008 | 31 | 11 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 32 | 12 | |||||
| Total | 62 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 70 | 27 | ||||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Vissel Kobe | 2009 | J1 League | 19 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 20 | 9 | |||
| 2010 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| 2011 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 9 | ||||
| 2012 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 92 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 100 | 29 | ||||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2013 | J1 League | 33 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 4 | — | — | 45 | 33 | ||
| 2014 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | 45 | 21 | |||
| 2015 | 32 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 27 | ||||
| 2016 | 33 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 40 | 20 | |||
| Total | 130 | 82 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 169 | 101 | ||
| FC Tokyo | 2017 | J1 League | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 9 | ||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2018 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3 | |
| Júbilo Iwata | 2018 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | ||
| 2019 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 37 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 41 | 4 | |||
| Tokyo Verdy | 2020 | J2 League | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Cerezo Osaka | 2021 | J1 League | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 42 | 8 | |
| Career total | 573 | 214 | 40 | 21 | 38 | 12 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 674 | 250 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2003 | 14 | 0 |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 60 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 October 2007 | Osaka, Japan |  Egypt |
4–1 | 2007 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations | |
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | 6 February 2008 | Saitama, Japan |  Thailand |
4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 2 June 2008 | Yokohama, Japan |  Oman |
3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 5 | 13 November 2008 | Kobe, Japan |  Syria |
3–1 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 6 June 2014 | Florida, United States |  Zambia |
4–3 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Yoshito Okubo earned several important awards and titles during his career:
VfL Wolfsburg
- Bundesliga: 2008–09 (This is the top football league in Germany)
Individual Awards
- Asian Young Footballer of the Year: 2003 (Recognized as the best young player in Asia)
- J.League Top Scorer: 2013, 2014, 2015 (He scored the most goals in Japan's top league for three years!)
- J.League Best XI: 2013, 2014, 2015 (Chosen as one of the best 11 players in the J.League for those years)
See also
In Spanish: Yoshito Ōkubo para niños
