Yuji Okuma facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yuji Okuma | ||
| Date of birth | January 19, 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1986 | Bunan High School | ||
| 1987–1990 | Chuo University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1995 | Kashiwa Reysol | 92 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Kyoto Purple Sanga | 50 | (1) |
| 1998 | Avispa Fukuoka | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 163 | (8) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Cerezo Osaka | ||
| 2016–2019 | Cerezo Osaka U-23 | ||
| 2024- | Tegevajaro Miyazaki | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Yuji Okuma (大熊 裕司, Okuma Yuji, born January 19, 1969) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played as a Midfielder. His elder brother Kiyoshi was also a former footballer.
Playing Career
Yuji Okuma was born in Saitama, Japan. He was born on January 19, 1969. After finishing his studies at Chuo University, he joined a football club called Hitachi in 1991. This club later became known as Kashiwa Reysol.
He played many games as a defensive midfielder from his very first season. In 1996, he moved to Kyoto Purple Sanga. This team had just been promoted to the J1 League, which is Japan's top football league.
Yuji Okuma played many matches for Kyoto Purple Sanga in 1996. He became a regular player for the team in 1997. In 1998, he moved to Avispa Fukuoka and played for them for one season. He decided to retire from playing football at the end of the 1998 season.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Yuji Okuma started a new career as a coach. He began coaching at Avispa Fukuoka in 1999. In 2005, he moved to Cerezo Osaka and worked there as a coach.
In 2007, he became a coach for the Japan U-20 national team. This team is for players under 20 years old. In 2010, he returned to Cerezo Osaka. This time, he became the manager for their youth team.
In September 2014, the main team's manager, Marco Pezzaiuoli, left his job because the team was not doing well. Yuji Okuma took over as the new manager. However, Cerezo Osaka finished in 17th place out of 18 clubs in the 2014 season.
Because of this, Cerezo Osaka was moved down to a lower league, the J2 League. Yuji Okuma then resigned as manager. In 2015, he went back to managing the youth team. In 2016, he became the manager for a new team called Cerezo Osaka U-23.
See also
In Spanish: Yūji Ōkuma para niños
