Yuki Abe facts for kids
Abe playing for Leicester City in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Yuki Abe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 September 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| –1987 | Fumihama FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | Ichikawa FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Japan U-20 | 2 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Japan U-23 | 13 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Japan | 53 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuki Abe (born September 6, 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal. 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
Yuki Abe's Club Career
Starting with JEF United Chiba
Yuki Abe was born in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan. He started his football journey in the youth team of JEF United Ichihara, which is now known as JEF United Chiba. He made his first professional appearance for the senior team when he was just 16 years and 333 days old. This happened on August 5, 1998, and at that time, it was a record for the youngest Japanese professional player in the J1 League.
Abe became the captain of JEF United. He led the club to win the J.League Cup in 2005 and again in 2006. During this time, he was also named one of the league's best players in the "Best Eleven" team.
Playing for Urawa Reds
On January 22, 2007, Yuki Abe joined Urawa Reds. This club had just won the J1 League and the Emperor's Cup. His transfer fee was a record amount for a Japanese player moving between domestic clubs.
Abe helped Urawa Reds win the 2007 AFC Champions League, which is a big competition for clubs in Asia. He even scored a goal in the final match against Sepahan FC from Iran. After this, Urawa Reds played in the 2007 Club World Cup. They finished in third place in that tournament.
Time with Leicester City
On August 26, 2010, Yuki Abe moved to England to play for Leicester City. This club was in the Championship league at the time. He signed a three-year contract with them.
He played his first game for Leicester City on September 14, 2010, in a 2-1 win against Cardiff City. He scored his first goal for the club on May 7, 2011, in a 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town. His last league goal for Leicester City was on September 17, 2011, in a 1-0 win against Brighton. Yuki Abe's contract with Leicester City ended early on January 22, 2012, because he was feeling homesick. He then decided to return to Japan and rejoin his old club, Urawa Reds.
Returning to Urawa Reds
In 2012, Yuki Abe went back to play for Urawa Reds. He was a very important player for them. From 2013 to 2016, he played in almost every single match in the J1 League. In 2016, Urawa Reds won the J.League Cup and finished second in the J1 League. Abe was again chosen for the "Best Eleven" team that year.
In 2017, Urawa Reds won the AFC Champions League again, which was their first win in that competition in 10 years. The team also won the Emperor's Cup in 2018.
On November 14, 2021, Yuki Abe announced that he would stop playing professional football at the end of the 2021 season.
Yuki Abe's International Career
Yuki Abe first played for Japan's senior national team on January 29, 2005, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan. He scored his first goal for the national team on September 6, 2006, against Yemen during a qualification match for the 2007 Asian Cup.
Even though he wasn't chosen for Japan's team in the 2006 World Cup, he became a regular player under his former JEF United coach, Ivica Osim, who became the national team's head coach. Before playing for the senior team, Abe also 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. By 2011, Yuki Abe had played 53 games for Japan and scored 3 goals.
Honours and Awards
Yuki Abe won many awards and championships during his career:
With JEF United Chiba
- J.League Cup: 2005, 2006
With 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
