Yuichiro Nagai facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 February 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Mitsubishi Yowa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2008 | Urawa Reds | 278 | (63) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | → Karlsruher SC II (loan) | 21 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 39 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Yokohama FC | 21 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Arterivo Wakayama | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Thespakusatsu Gunma | 43 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 413 | (74) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Japan U-23 | 12 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Japan | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuichiro Nagai (永井 雄一郎, Nagai Yūichirō, born 14 February 1979) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a player who mainly tried to score goals. He played four games for the Japan national team and scored one goal.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Yuichiro Nagai started his youth football career at the Mitsubishi Yowa Club. After finishing high school in 1997, he joined Urawa Reds, a professional team. He played his very first professional game on April 12, 1997. This was a league match against Yokohama Marinos.
Playing in Germany
From 1998 to 1999, Nagai went to Germany. He was loaned to Karlsruher SC, a team in the German 2. Bundesliga league. He played 21 league games for their reserve team, Karlsruher SC II, and scored 4 goals.
Success with Urawa Reds
In 2003, Nagai took over the famous number "9" jersey at Urawa Reds. This number was previously worn by a legendary player named Masahiro Fukuda. Nagai scored three goals in one game (a "hat trick") against Tokyo Verdy on August 21, 2004. His teammate, Koji Yamase, also scored three goals in that same match!
On January 1, 2007, Nagai helped Urawa Reds win the Emperor's Cup again. He scored a goal late in the game, which helped his team win. During his time at Urawa Reds, the club won many important titles. They won the J1 League in 2006, the J.League Cup in 2003, and the Emperor's Cup in both 2005 and 2006.
In 2007, Nagai was a key player when Urawa Reds won the AFC Champions League. He scored 3 goals in this big tournament. Because of his great performance, he was named the best player of the tournament! Urawa Reds also finished third in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup that year.
Later Club Teams
After his time at Urawa Reds, Nagai moved to Shimizu S-Pulse on January 7, 2009. He played there until 2011. Later, he played for several other teams:
- Yokohama FC (from 2012 to 2013)
- Arterivo Wakayama (in 2014)
- Thespakusatsu Gunma (from 2015 to 2017)
Playing for Japan
Nagai also played for Japan's national teams.
Youth National Team
He was part of the Japan team for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia. He played in all 5 games and scored a goal against Costa Rica. His team reached the quarter-finals.
He also played for Japan in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria. He played in all 7 games and scored a goal in the semi-final against Uruguay. Japan finished as the runner-up in this competition.
Senior National Team
Nagai made his first appearance for the senior Japan national team on April 21, 2003. This was a friendly game against South Korea in Seoul. He scored his first international goal in that very same match, which was the winning goal! He also played in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Overall, he played 4 games for Japan and scored 1 goal.
Awards and Achievements
Yuichiro Nagai won several important awards and championships during his career:
- AFC Champions League: 2007
- J1 League: 2006
- Emperor's Cup: 2005, 2006
- J.League Cup: 2004
- Japanese Super Cup: 2006
- FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1999
Individual Awards
- AFC Champions League Player of the Tournament: 2007
See also
In Spanish: Yūichirō Nagai para niños
