Akira Kaji

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Akira Kaji
Personal information
Full name Akira Kaji
Date of birth January 13, 1980 (1980-01-13) (age 28)
Place of birth    Minamiawaji, Hyogo, Japan
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Right Back
Club information
Current club Gamba Osaka
Youth clubs
1995-1997 Takigawa Daini H.S.
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1998-1999
2000-2001
2002-2005
2006-		 Cerezo Osaka
Oita Trinita (loan)
FC Tokyo
Gamba Osaka		 024 00(0)
075 00(3)
089 00(1)
061 00(2)   
National team2
2003-2008 Japan 064 00(2)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 20 May 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 20 May 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Akira Kaji (加地 亮 Kaji Akira?, born January 13, 1980 in Minamiawaji, Hyogo) is a Japanese professional soccer player. He is a specialist on the right-hand side of the pitch playing as a full back or a wide midfielder. He currently plays for J. League side Gamba Osaka.[1]

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Club

After graduating from Takigawa Daini High School, Kaji joined Cerezo Osaka in 1998. He made his first league appearance on July 25, 1998 against Avispa Fukuoka. At the club, he found it difficult to break into the first team and was loaned out to J. League Division 2 side Oita Trinita at the beginning of the 2000 season.

After spending 2 years at Oita, Kaji came back to Division 1 in 2002 to play for F.C. Tokyo. The manager Hiromi Hara made him a regular and assigned a more attacking role. His club won the 2004 J. League Cup by beating Urawa Red Diamonds in the final which ended 0-0 after the extra time. The penalty shoot-out was required and his successful conversion as the last penalty taker for Tokyo finally broke the deadlock.

He was transferred to Gamba Osaka at the beginning of the 2006 season and scored in the opening league match against Urawa Reds. He was selected as a member of the 2006 J-League Team of the Year.

[edit] International

He was a member of the Japan team for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship finals where the team finished runners-up.

He gained his first cap for Japan when national coach Zico played him on October 8, 2003 in a friendly against Tunisia. He was rated highly by Zico who made him the first-choice right full-back. He was a member of the Japan team who won the 2004 Asian Cup in China.[2] In a 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup against Brazil, his goal was disallowed by a controversial offside decision.[3] His first goal for the country finally came on August 17, 2005 in a World Cup qualifier against Iran.[4]

He made the final squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. In a preparation match against Germany just before the tournament, he injured his ankle when tackled by Bastian Schweinsteiger.[5] Zico considered his replacement but decided to keep him. He missed Japan's first game in the tournament against Australia with Yūichi Komano filling in for his place, but he returned to the team and played in the rest of the competition.

After the 2006 World Cup, Zico was replaced by Ivica Osim who also regularly picks him for the national team. He was a member of the Japan team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and played all the Japan games in the tournament.

On May 20, 2008 he announced retirement from international football.

[edit] National team

[edit] International Goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. August 17, 2005 Yokohama, Japan Flag of Iran Iran 2-1 Won 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification
2. October 17, 2007 Osaka, Japan Flag of Egypt Egypt 4-1 Won Friendly

[edit] Honors and awards

[edit] Individual Honors

[edit] Team Honors

[edit] References

  1. ^ Players | GAMBA OSAKA Official Site
  2. ^ http://2004.afcasiancup.com/en/tournament/teams.asp@cid=1040&sqid=958&ccd=JPN&tbl=Y
  3. ^ Brazil Squeaks Past Japan | World Cup 2006 | Deutsche Welle | 22.06.2005
  4. ^ Japan National Team: WC2006 Qualification Match (Iran)
  5. ^ BBC SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 | Teams | Japan | Zico furious with Schweinsteiger
v • d • e
Gamba Osaka – current squad

0 Gamba Boy • 1 Matsuyo • 2 Nakazawa • 3 Mineiro • 4 Mizumoto • 5 Yamaguchi • 6 Fukumoto • 7 Endō • 8 Terada • 9 Lucas • 10 Futagawa • 11 Bando • 13 M. Yasuda • 14 Hirai • 15 Aoki • 16 Sasaki • 17 Myojin • 18 Bare • 19 Shimohira • 20 Kurata • 21 Kaji • 22 Fujigaya • 23 Takei • 24 Hoshihara • 25 Okamoto • 26 Kinoshita • 27 Hashimoto • 28 Ueda • 29 Kimura • 30 Yamazaki • 31 K. Yasuda • Manager: Nishino
v • d • e
Japan squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Narazaki • 2 Moniwa • 3 Komano • 4 Endō • 5 Miyamoto • 6 K. Nakata • 7 H. Nakata • 8 Ogasawara • 9 Takahara • 10 Nakamura • 11 Maki • 12 Doi • 13 Yanagisawa • 14 Alex • 15 Fukunishi • 16 Oguro • 17 Inamoto • 18 Ono • 19 Tsuboi • 20 Tamada • 21 Kaji • 22 Nakazawa • 23 Kawaguchi • Coach: Zico
 Flag of Japan