Junichi Inamoto
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| Junichi Inamoto | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Junichi Inamoto | |
| Date of birth | September 18, 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Yusui, Kagoshima, Japan | |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Eintracht Frankfurt | |
| Number | 20 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1985-? 1992-1997 |
Seiei Gakuen SC Gamba Osaka |
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| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997–2004 2001–2002 2002–2004 2004–2006 2004–2005 2006–2007 2007– |
Gamba Osaka → Arsenal (loan) → Fulham (loan) West Bromwich Albion → Cardiff City (loan) Galatasaray Eintracht Frankfurt |
118 (16) 0 (0) 41 (4) 28 (0) 12 (0) 25 (0) 24 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2000– | Japan | 68 (4) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Junichi Inamoto (稲本 潤一 Inamoto Jun'ichi?, born September 18, 1979) is a Japanese football player who plays in midfield for Eintracht Frankfurt.
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[edit] Playing career
Inamoto played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during his last year of high school, signing with the club in 1998. He was then one of many high profile transfers of Asian players to Europe, signing with Arsenal of the FA Premier League, though he failed to break into the first team, only ever appearing in the Carling Cup. Inamoto scored two goals for the Japanese National Team at the 2002 World Cup, but had already been released by Arsenal shortly before the tournament began.[1] He was then signed by Fulham on a long-term loan deal from Gamba Osaka. Initially he settled well at the London club, garnering good notices as a tough-tackling midfielder with an eye for a spectacular goal. Notable goals he scored in his time for Fulham include goals against Tottenham Hotspur and also in the win against Manchester United. He also scored a great goal in the FA Cup against Everton which commentator Barry Davies described as "a Japanese peach". However, he sustained a fractured tibia in an international friendly against England, and returned to Gamba Osaka to do promotional work. Fulham were interested in signing him once more, but concerns remained over his recovery from injury.[2]
Inamoto ended up signing with West Bromwich Albion for a decidedly small £200,000 transfer fee, which was only to be paid once he had made an appearance for the Midlands club.[3] However, Gary Megson departed as West Bromwich Albion manager shortly afterwards, and successor Bryan Robson was unsure of the Japanese's talent. Inamoto was loaned to Cardiff City F.C. for the latter part of the 2004-05 season,[4] and impressed, being recalled to play a role in WBA's survival campaign in the Premiership. During his time with the Baggies his most impressive moment came when he scored a 35 yard winner in the Carling Cup against old team Fulham. In 2005-06 he was a regular in the West Brom side, and was called up to the Japan squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the first Albion player to play in the tournament for 20 years.
On August 31, 2006, he signed for Galatasaray.[5] Inamoto scored a superb individual goal in a Champions League clash against Girondins Bordeaux, but could not prevent a 3-1 loss, with the team finishing at the bottom of group with four points.
On 29 May 2007 it was revealed that he signed a two-year contract with German club Eintracht Frankfurt, joining on a free transfer.[6]Inamoto was presented in a press conference joining fellow Japanese striker Naohiro Takahara in Frankfurt.
[edit] Career statistics
(correct as of May 11, 2008)
| Club | Season | League | Cup[7] | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2001-02 | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 4 | - |
| Fulham | 2002-03 | 19 | 2 | 4 | - | 6 | 4[8] | 29 | 6 |
| Fulham | 2003-04 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 25 | 3 |
| WBA | 2004-05 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - |
| Cardiff City | 2004-05 | 14 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 16 | - |
| WBA | 2005-06 | 22 | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | 26 | 1 |
| WBA | 2006-07 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - |
| Galatasaray | 2006-07 | 25 | - | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2007-08 | 24 | - | 2 | - | - | - | 26 | - |
| Career totals | 165 | 11 | |||||||
[edit] National team
- 2000 Asian Cup (Champions)
- 2001 Confederations Cup
- 2002 FIFA World Cup
- 2003 Confederations Cup
- 2005 Confederations Cup
- 2006 FIFA World Cup
[edit] International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | July 4, 2001 | Ōita, Japan |  Yugoslavia |
1-0 | Won | Friendly |
| 2. | June 4, 2002 | Saitama, Japan | .svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
2-2 | Drew | 2002 FIFA World Cup Group Stage |
| 3. | June 9, 2002 | Yokohama, Japan |  Russia |
1-0 | Won | 2002 FIFA World Cup Group Stage |
| 4. | March 28, 2003 | Tokyo, Japan |  Uruguay |
2-2 | Drew | Friendly |
[edit] Honours and awards
[edit] Individual honours
- J-League Best Eleven: 2000
[edit] Team honours
- FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up: 2001
- FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1999
- Asian Cup Champions: 2000
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Arsenal release Inamoto", BBC Sport, 2002-06-10. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Inamoto to leave Fulham", BBC Sport, 2004-07-29. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Inamoto signs for West Brom", BBC Sport, 2004-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Cardiff snap up Inamoto on loan", BBC Sport, 2004-12-23. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Inamoto leaves Baggies for Turkey", BBC Sport, 2006-09-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Inamoto kommt", Kicker, 2007-05-29. Retrieved on 2007-05-29. (German)
- ^ Includes FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield
- ^ scored 4 goals in Intertoto Cup final, Fulham vs Bologna
[edit] External links
- Junichi Inamoto Official Website
- Profile at West Bromwich Albion's official site
- Statistics at soccerbase.com
- Junichi Inamoto FIFA competition record
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