Takayuki Morimoto(Sâm bổn quý hạnh,Morimoto Takayuki,born 7 May 1988)is a Japanese[2]professionalfootballerwho plays as aforward.He holds the record for the youngest Japanese player to make his professional debut, and theyoungest scorerinJ1 Leaguehistory. Morimoto represented Japan at the2004and2008versions of theToulon Tournament,the2004 AFC Youth Championship,the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship,the2008 Summer Olympicsand the2010 FIFA World Cup.[3]
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Takayuki Morimoto[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 May 1988[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kawasaki,Kanagawa,Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Tsudayama FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Tokyo Verdy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Tokyo Verdy | 46 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | Catania | 81 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Novara | 18 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Catania | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | →Al-Nasr Dubai(loan) | 13 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | JEF United Chiba | 73 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Kawasaki Frontale | 22 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Avispa Fukuoka | 26 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | AEP Kozani | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Sportivo Luqueño | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Taichung Futuro | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Japan U-20 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Japan U-23 | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Japan | 10 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of end of 2018 season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
editYouth career
editBorn inKawasaki, Kanagawa,Morimoto began his youth career with Tsudayama FC in 1995. He joinedTokyo Verdy's, then known as Yomiuri SC's youth set-ups on 1998. He was eventually promoted to Verdy's first-team in May 2004, when he was a first grader at high school.
Tokyo Verdy
editOn 13 March 2004, Morimoto made his J1 League debut forTokyo VerdyagainstJúbilo Iwataat the age of 15 years, 10 months and 6 days, a league record foryoungest player to debut.He scored his first goal againstJEF United Ichiharaon 5 May of the same year, two days before his 16th birthday, another league record for youngest goal scorer.[4]He captured theJ.League Rookie of the Year Awardfor the 2004 season.[5]During the 2004 season, Morimoto was teammates with formerCerro PorteñoplayerNozomi Hiroyama.[6]In the 2005 season at Tokyo Verdy, Morimoto was teammates withRiki Kitawaki,who would play in Paraguay before Morimoto would do the same several years later.[7]On 23 July 2006, Tokyo Verdy announced a one-year loan deal sending Morimoto toCataniaofSerie A.[8]
Catania
editMorimoto made his Serie A debut on 28 January 2007 during an away game againstAtalanta.[9]He entered the game in the 83rd minute and scored the equalizing goal, his first, just five minutes later.[10]On 13 March 2007, it was confirmed by Catania that Morimoto had ruptured theanterior cruciate ligament(ACL) in his left knee and would be out for at least six months, ruling him out for the remainder of the2006–07 season.Despite the serious injury, Catania recognized his potential and completed a permanent transfer deal in June 2007.[citation needed]
On 14 December 2008, Morimoto signed a three-year contract extension with Catania until 30 June 2011.[11]
Morimoto had a breakthrough season for Catania during the2008–09 season,as he scored ten goals in 25 league andCoppa Italiagames while also being credited with several assists. Brazilian andMilanstarAlexandre Patotold Italian sports dailyCorriere dello Sportthat he believed Morimoto was the best young player in Serie A and compared him toRonaldo.[12]
Despite all the talent and all the potential, the striker has never really lived up to all the expectations following an improvement in each of his first three seasons inSicily.During the2009–10 season,Morimoto scored an additional five goals, adding a further two during the2010–11 league campaign.His performances have often been over-shadowed by the likes ofGiuseppe Mascara,Maxi López,Jorge MartínezandGionatha Spinesi,while the signing ofArgentine internationalGonzalo Bergessioalso limited his chances to feature.[citation needed]
On 11 July 2011, Catania confirmed to have sold Morimoto to newly promoted Serie A clubNovarain a co-ownership bid.[13]Morimoto's season was hampered by injuries which limited the Japanese international to just 18 league appearances, producing four goals. At the end of the season, Novara was relegated toSerie Bafter placing 19th, and Morimoto officially returned to Catania on 21 June 2012.[citation needed]
On 7 January 2013, Morimoto was loaned toAl-Nasr Dubai,coached by former Catania managerWalter Zenga.The loan deal expired on 30 June 2013, and the player returned to Sicily.[citation needed]
Later years
editOn 14 August 2013, Morimoto signed forJ2 LeagueclubJEF United Chibafor an undisclosed fee.[14]
On 24 December 2015, Morimoto signed forKawasaki Frontaleon a two-year deal, with the contract starting on 1 February 2016.[15]
In October 2020, Morimoto signed for the GreekFootball LeagueclubAEP Kozanifor an undisclosed fee. Having not been able to play because of theleaguebeing indefinitely suspended because of theCOVID-19 pandemiche asked for his release, making him a free agent.
In January 2021,Primera División Paraguayateam Sportivo Luqueño confirmed through their president that Morimito was going to arrive to Paraguay to sign for the club.[16]In February 2021, Morimoto signed with the club.[17]He was presented by the club throughTwitter.[18]He joined formerParaguay national teamplayersEdgar Benitez,Guillermo BeltranandLuis Cabral.[19]On 17 April 2021, Morimoto debuted for Sportivo Luqueño againstNacional Asunciónin a 1–0 away defeat, being substituted onto the field in the 81st for Guillermo Beltran.[20]This was his only appearance for the club, as he was released soon after.[21]
On 23 August 2023,Serie DclubAkragasannounced the signing of Morimoto.[22]However, the formal acquisition of the player was blocked by a number of bureaucratic issues related to his status as a non-EU citizen, which turned out to be insurmountable and led to the club announcing in January 2024 that the signing could not be completed at last.[23]
International career
editMorimoto represented Japan at theJapan U20 national teamlevel at both the2004 AFC Youth Championshipand the2005 World Youth Championship.In 2008, he was a member of theJapan U23 national teamfor the2008 Summer Olympics,[24]where the team was eliminated in thepreliminary round,losing all three matches and only managing to score one goal.
On 10 October 2009, Morimoto made his debut for thesenior national teamagainstScotland,coming on as a substitute forRyoichi Maedain a 2–0 win.[25]On 14 October 2009, he made his first start and scored his first goal againstTogoin a 5–0 win.[25]
Personal life
editIn March 2021, Morimoto was involved in a traffic collision in Paraguay after crashing his vehicle against a motorcycle.[26]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tokyo Verdy | 2004 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| 2005 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 7 | |
| Catania | 2006–07 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2007–08 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 2 | – | 24 | 9 | ||
| 2009–10 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 1 | – | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 13 | 2 | ||
| Total | 81 | 15 | 9 | 5 | – | 90 | 20 | ||
| Novara | 2011–12 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 4 | |
| Catania | 2012–13 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | |
| Al-Nasr Dubai(loan) | 2012–13 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 10 |
| JEF United Chiba | 2013 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 14 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 34 | 10 | 2 | 2 | – | 36 | 12 | ||
| 2015 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | 30 | 5 | ||
| Total | 73 | 17 | 7 | 2 | – | 80 | 19 | ||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2016 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
| 2017 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 7 | |
| Total | 22 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 36 | 10 | |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 2018 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 25 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 10 | |
| AEP Kozani | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Sportivo Luqueño | 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 285 | 53 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 335 | 71 | |
- ^IncludesEmperor's Cup,Coppa ItaliaandUAE President's Cup.
- ^IncludesJ.League CupandAFC Champions League.
International
edit| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan U20 | 2004 | 4 | 2 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 2 | |
| Japan U23 | 2008 | 10 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 1 | |
| Japan[25] | 2009 | 2 | 1 |
| 2010 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Morimoto goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan U19 goals | ||||||
| 1 | 27 September 2004 | Larkin Stadium,Johor Bahru,Malaysia |  Malaysia |
3–0 | 2004 AFC Youth Championship | |
| 2 | 29 September 2004 | Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia |  Vietnam |
1–0 | 2004 AFC Youth Championship | |
| Japan U23 goals | ||||||
| 1 | 22 May 2008 | Stade Perruc,Hyères,France |  France |
2–1 | 2008 Toulon Tournament | |
| Japan goals | ||||||
| 1 | 14 October 2009 | Miyagi Stadium,Miyagi,Japan |  Togo |
5–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 7 September 2010 | Nagai Stadium,Osaka,Japan |  Guatemala |
2–1 | Friendly | |
| 3 | ||||||
Honours
editTokyo Verdy
Kawasaki Frontale
Individual
References
edit- ^ab"FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 List of Players"(PDF).FIFA.p. 16. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 January 2019.
- ^Takayuki MorimotoatJ.League(archive)(in Japanese)
- ^"Takayuki Morimoto:: Takayuki Morimoto::".
- ^"Morimoto, 15, breaks J-League record".ESPNsoccernet. 5 May 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 25 May 2011.Retrieved20 July2006.
- ^"Japan – J-League Awards".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Retrieved20 July2006.
- ^"Tokyo Verdy:: Japan:: Team profile:: playmakerstats".playmakerstats.Retrieved2 December2023.
- ^"Tokyo Verdy:: Japan:: Team profile:: playmakerstats".playmakerstats.Retrieved2 December2023.
- ^ "Japanese teen Morimoto seals loan move to Italy".Reuters. 23 July 2006.Retrieved23 July2006.[dead link]
- ^"Tactical Formation".Football-Lineups.Retrieved1 February2007.
- ^Gazzetta dello Sport(27 January 2007)."Morimoto, favola di Catania"(in Italian).Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^"Takayuki Morimoto signs new Catania deal".tribalfootball.Retrieved21 December2008.
- ^"Morimoto Meglio Di Balotelli".goal.Retrieved20 May2009.
- ^"Takayuki Morimoto al Novara"(in Italian). Calcio Catania. 11 July 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2011.Retrieved11 July2011.
- ^"Catania confirm Morimoto exit".Yahoo! Eurosport UK.Retrieved14 August2013.
- ^"Ex-Catania striker Morimoto moving to Frontale".The Japan Times.24 December 2015.Retrieved24 December2015.
- ^"Un japonés" clase A "reforzará al Sportivo Luqueño".
- ^"Diario HOY | la inspiración samuray en Luqueño".26 April 2016.
- ^"De pie señores: Se viene el refuerzo de Sportivo Luqueño: El japonés Takayuki Morimoto".2 February 2021.
- ^Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin."Sportivo Luqueño (2021)".national-football-teams.Retrieved2 December2023.
- ^"Nacional 1-0 Sportivo Luqueño:: Apertura 2021:: Match Events:: playmakerstats".playmakerstats.Retrieved2 December2023.
- ^"Diario HOY | Luqueño deja ir a su exótica incorporación".Diario Hoy.8 June 2021.
- ^"Takayuki Morimoto torna nella sua Sicilia: il giapponese ha firmato per l'Akragas"(in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 23 August 2023.Retrieved23 August2023.
- ^"L'ex Serie A Morimoto non vestirà la maglia dell'Akragas. Dg Strano:" Mi assumo tutte le colpe ""(in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 12 January 2024.Retrieved12 January2024.
- ^Goal (14 July 2008)."Japan Name Olympic Squad".Retrieved17 July2008.
- ^abcJapan National Football Team Database
- ^"Escándalo con un futbolista japonés que llegó como figura a Paraguay: chocó una motocicleta, se fugó y dio positivo en su control de alcoholemia".infobae.17 March 2021.Retrieved2 December2023.
- ^Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./ Nhật Bản スポーツ xí họa nhà xuất bản,"J1&J2&J3 tuyển thủ danh giam ハンディ bản 2018 (NSK MOOK)",7 February 2018, Japan,ISBN978-4905411529(p. 168 out of 289)
- ^"Japan - T. Morimoto - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".int.soccerway.Retrieved2 December2023.
External links
edit
- Takayuki Morimotoat Playmakerstats
- Takayuki Morimoto–FIFAcompetition record (archived)
- Takayuki Morimotoat National-Football-Teams
- Takayuki Morimotoat Japan National Football Team Database
- Takayuki MorimotoatJ.League(archive)(in Japanese)