Shinji Okazaki ( 岡崎 慎司, Okazaki Shinji, give birth 16 April 1986 ) is a japanese professional football player who plays as a ahead or attacking midfielder for spanish club Cartagena and the Japan national team. internationally, he is presently the top active Japan national team goalscorer and third all-time in team history with 50 goals. He besides won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016.
Reading: Shinji Okazaki
Club career [edit ]
Shimizu S-Pulse [edit ]
After graduating Takigawa Daini High School in 2004, Okazaki signed full professional terms with Shimizu S-Pulse the postdate year. In December 2005, he made his inaugural J.League appearance as a substitute against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. On 15 April 2007, he scored his first gear professional goal against Kawasaki Frontale. Okazaki ended his first season as a first base team player with three goals from 13 matches. Okazaki scored ten-spot times in 27 matches during the 2008 J. League temper and besides represented S-Pulse in the J. League Cup Final, where the team lost 2–0 to Oita Trinita. He continued his promising goalscoring in the 2009 and 2010 seasons and, in January 2011, was signed by german side VfB Stuttgart of the Bundesliga. [ 4 ]
VfB Stuttgart [edit ]
On 30 January 2011, Okazaki signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Stuttgart. [ 5 ] On 17 February 2011, clearance to play for the baseball club was granted for Okazaki by FIFA. [ 6 ] He made his competitive debut for VfB on the like night in a Europa League match against Benfica. On 20 February 2011, Okazaki made his Bundesliga debut for VfB against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Okazaki scored his first base finish against Hannover 96, which he scored from outside the box. [ 7 ] Okazaki came on as a second-half utility for Stuttgart in their first gear game of the 2011–12 Bundesliga season against FC Schalke 04. His side were up 2–0 and Okazaki added a goal scoring from long image in the 90th minute, sealing a 3–0 win. [ 8 ] Okazaki ‘s goal from a bicycle kick on 19 February 2012 in a Bundesliga match of VfB Stuttgart against Hannover 96 was selected Goal of the Month. After Yasuhiko Okudera in April 1978, Okazaki was the second player from Japan to win this award in Germany. [ 9 ] Okazaki had a hapless 2012–13 season, scoring entirely once in the Bundesliga. however, he scored his first goals in european competition with two goals against FC Steaua București in the Europa League .
Mainz 05 [edit ]
On 1 July 2013, Okazaki moved to 1. FSV Mainz 05. [ 10 ] He scored his first gear goal for Mainz on his debut in a 3–2 succeed against his former club Stuttgart on the open matchday of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season. [ 11 ] At the end of the season he ended with 15 league goals. Okazaki became the most fecund japanese musician in Bundesliga history on 13 September 2014, scoring his 27th and 28th league goals in Mainz ‘s 3–1 win over Hertha Berlin. [ 12 ]
Leicester City [edit ]
On 26 June 2015, Okazaki moved to Premier League side Leicester City for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million, subject to obtaining a work permit. [ 13 ] He made his debut for the club on 8 August 2015 in Leicester City ‘s 4–2 opening day win against Sunderland, and scored his first goal for the club the following week in a 2–1 gain against West Ham United. On 19 December 2015, Okazaki scored the winner in a 3–2 winnings over Everton at Goodison Park, to ensure that Leicester City topped the table at Christmas. [ 14 ] On 10 January 2016, Okazaki scored Leicester ‘s moment goal in the FA Cup collide at White Hart Lane with Tottenham Hotspur despite drawing to a former Harry Kane penalty in the 90th minute. On 14 March 2016, Okazaki scored the winning goal in a league repair against Newcastle United, a outstanding overhead strike that won Leicester City the game 1–0 and took them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. [ 15 ] Okazaki went on to win the league that year thus becoming the second base japanese musician to win the Premier League after Shinji Kagawa. [ 16 ] His performances in the 2015–16 season earned him the Asian International Player of the Year prize in December 2016. [ 17 ]
Okazaki scored twice in a 2–4 get the better of to Chelsea in the third base round of the 2016–17 EFL Cup on 20 September 2016. [ 18 ] He scored his first base league goal of the temper in a 3–1 acquire over Crystal Palace on 22 October 2016, earning him Man of the match and achieving an 84.8 % pass success rate, more than any other Leicester musician. [ 19 ] On 22 November 2016, Okazaki scored in a 2–1 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League group stage, becoming the one-sixth japanese player to score a Champions League goal and the beginning since Keisuke Honda in November 2013. [ 20 ] He finished the season with entirely three league goals. [ 21 ]
Okazaki was in goalscoring form at the beginning to the 2017–18 season, scoring four goals in six appearances for Leicester in all competitions. [ 22 ] He was released by Leicester at the conclusion of the 2018–19 temper. [ 23 ]
Málaga [edit ]
On 30 July 2019, Okazaki signed a annual condense with Málaga CF. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] however, Málaga canceled its contract with Okazaki after fair 34 days, since the team was ineffective to register him as his wage demands exceeded its maximal budget spend as permitted by the league. [ 26 ]
Huesca [edit ]
On 4 September 2019, the free agent Okazaki signed a annual abridge with Segunda División side Huesca. [ 27 ] On 8 September 2019, he made his introduction for Huesca as a substitute. On 25 July 2020, after scoring 12 times as his side achieved promotion to La Liga, Okazaki renewed his contract for a farther year. [ 28 ]
cartagena [edit ]
On 31 August 2021, Okazaki moved to FC Cartagena in the second base division, on a annual abridge. [ 29 ]
International career [edit ]
After competing for the state ‘s under-23 team at the 2008 Olympic Games in China, Okazaki made his wide international debut for Japan against the United Arab Emirates in October 2008. [ 30 ] On 20 January 2009, he scored his first goal for Samurai Blue in the team ‘s open 2011 AFC asian Cup modifier against Yemen. [ 30 ] In October 2009, Okazaki scored hat-tricks in consecutive matches as Japan beat Hong Kong and Togo 6–0 and 5–0 respectively. [ 30 ] He was named The World ‘s top Goal Scorer of 2009 by the IFFHS for his 15 goals with the national team. [ 31 ] Okazaki was included in Japan ‘s police squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and appeared as a substitute in all four of the team ‘s matches. He scored once in the final Group E match, a 3–1 frustration of Denmark, to send the Japanese into the second gear round. [ 30 ] On 8 October 2010, Okazaki scored as Japan beat Argentina 1–0 in friendly match to record its first ever win over the 1978 and 1986 world champions. [ 32 ]
Read more: Lille OSC
Okazaki scored his third base international hat-trick in a 5–0 Group B succeed against Saudi Arabia at the 2011 AFC asian Cup. He then scored his recoil in the semi-final gunfight win over South Korea and played all 120 minutes of the final examination as Japan beat Australia to win the trophy for a fourth time. [ 30 ] Okazaki finished as top goalscorer in the asian section of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with eight goals. Okazaki scored twice at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, against Italy and Mexico respectively. however, Japan lost all three of its matches and was eliminated at the end of the group stage. [ 33 ] In June 2014, Okazaki was selected in Japan ‘s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. [ 34 ] In the team ‘s third base group match, a 4–1 defeat to Colombia, he scored Samurai Blue ‘s lone goal with a header in the 45th minute. [ 35 ] Okazaki was included in Japan ‘s police squad for the 2015 AFC asian Cup and scored in a 4–0 frustration of Palestine during the group degree. [ 36 ] In March 2016 Okazaki was presented with a commemorative shirt with 100 on the second in a presentation to celebrate his 100th international appearance for Japan. [ 37 ] Okazaki is presently the top active Japan national team goalscorer and third gear all-time in team history with 50 external goals .
career statistics [edit ]
club [edit ]
- As of 13 February 2020[38][39]
1Includes Emperor ‘s Cup, DFB-Pokal, FA Cup, Community Shield and Copa del Rey.
2Includes J.League Cup and EFL Cup.
3Includes UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League .
International [edit ]
- As of 24 June 2019[40]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Japan
2008
4
0
2009
16
15
2010
15
3
2011
14
8
2012
9
3
2013
14
7
2014
13
4
2015
13
7
2016
8
2
2017
5
1
2018
5
0
2019
3
0
Total
119
50
- Scores and results list Japan’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Okazaki goal.[41]
Honours [edit ]
Leicester City
SD Huesca
Japan
Individual
See besides [edit ]
References [edit ]
Read more: France national football team