Yuki Abe facts for kids
Abe playing for Leicester City in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 September 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | JEF United Ichihara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2006 | JEF United Chiba | 214 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 120 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Leicester City | 52 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2022 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 256 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 642 | (77) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Japan U-20 | 2 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Japan U-23 | 13 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Japan | 53 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Yuki Abe (阿部 勇樹, Abe Yūki, born 6 September 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect the defense and win the ball back. Yuki Abe played 53 times for the Japan national team between 2005 and 2011. He was also part of the team that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out: JEF United Chiba
Yuki Abe was born in Ichikawa, Chiba. He started playing football at a young age in the youth team of JEF United Ichihara (now called JEF United Chiba). He made his first appearance for the senior team when he was only 16 years and 333 days old, on August 5, 1998. At that time, this was a record for the youngest Japanese professional player in the J1 League.
He later became the captain of JEF United. He led the club to win the J.League Cup twice, in 2005 and 2006. Because of his great performances, he was named one of the league's best players in the "Best Eleven" team during this time.
Success with Urawa Reds
On January 22, 2007, Yuki Abe moved to Urawa Reds. This team had just won the J1 League and the Emperor's Cup.
Abe helped Urawa Reds win the AFC Champions League in 2007. He even scored a goal in the final match against Sepahan FC from Iran. He also played for Urawa in the 2007 Club World Cup, where they finished in third place.
Playing in England: Leicester City
On August 26, 2010, Yuki Abe signed a three-year contract with Leicester City, an English club in the Championship. He played his first game for them on September 14, helping them win 2-1 against Cardiff City.
He scored his first goal for Leicester City on May 7, 2011, in a 4–2 win against Ipswich Town. His last goal for the club was on September 17, 2011, in a 1–0 win over Brighton. Yuki Abe decided to leave Leicester City on January 22, 2012, because he was feeling homesick. He then returned to Japan to play for his old club, Urawa Reds.
Back to Urawa Reds
In 2012, Yuki Abe rejoined Urawa Reds. He played almost every match in the J1 League from 2013 to 2016. In 2016, Urawa Reds won the J.League Cup and came in second place in the J1 League. Abe was again chosen for the "Best Eleven" team.
In 2017, Urawa Reds won the AFC Champions League again, which was their first win in 10 years. In 2018, the team also won the Emperor's Cup.
On November 14, 2021, Yuki Abe announced that he would stop playing professional football at the end of the 2021 season.
Playing for Japan
Yuki Abe played his first game for the senior Japan national team on January 29, 2005, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan. He scored his first goal for Japan on September 6, 2006, against Yemen in a qualification match for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
Even though he wasn't chosen for Japan's 2006 World Cup team, he became a regular player under his former JEF United coach, Ivica Osim. Before playing for the senior team, he represented Japan at the Under-20 and Under-23 levels. He played in all three first-round matches at the 2004 Olympics and scored a goal against Italy.
He played in all of Japan's games at the 2010 World Cup. He played 53 games and scored 3 goals for Japan until 2011.
What He Won (Honours)
JEF United Chiba
- J.League Cup: 2005, 2006
Urawa Red Diamonds
- AFC Champions League: 2007, 2017
- J.League Cup: 2016
- Suruga Bank Championship: 2017
- Emperor's Cup: 2018
Individual Awards
- J.League Best Eleven: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2016
- J.League Cup New Hero Award: 2005
See also
In Spanish: Yūki Abe para niños
