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Kazuma Watanabe

{{short description|Japanese footballer}}

{{for|the Japanese motorcycle racer|Kazuma Watanabe (motorcycle racer)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Kazuma Watanabe

| fullname = Kazuma Watanabe

| image = Kazuma Watanabe 2013.jpg

| caption = Watanabe playing for FC Tokyo in 2013

| image_size = 255px

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|8|10|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nagasaki,{{J.League player}} Japan

| height = {{height|m=1.82}}

| currentclub = Matsumoto Yamaga FC

| clubnumber = 49

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 = 2002–2004 | youthclubs1 = Kunimi High School

| collegeyears1 = 2005–2008 | college1 = Waseda University

| years1 = 2009–2011 | clubs1 = Yokohama F. Marinos | caps1 = 88 | goals1 = 28

| years2 = 2012–2014 | clubs2 = FC Tokyo | caps2 = 86 | goals2 = 26

| years3 = 2015–2018 | clubs3 = Vissel Kobe | caps3 = 114 | goals3 = 34

| years4 = 2018–2020 | clubs4 = Gamba Osaka | caps4 = 63 | goals4 = 11

| years5 = 2021–2022 | clubs5 = Yokohama FC | caps5 = 53 | goals5 = 7

| years6 = 2023– | clubs6 = Matsumoto Yamaga FC | caps6 = 0 | goals6 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2010 | nationalteam1 = Japan | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0

|medaltemplates=

{{Medal|Country|{{Fb|JPN}}}}

{{Medal|Competition|AFC U-19 Championship}}

{{Medal|B|2004 Malaysia|}}

| pcupdate = 20 November 2022

| ntupdate = 10 January 2010

}}

{{nihongo|Kazuma Watanabe|渡邉 千真|Watanabe Kazuma|born 10 August 1986}} is a Japanese footballer who plays for Matsumoto Yamaga FC in the J3 League. He plays as a centre-forward and has previously had spells with Yokohama F. Marinos, FC Tokyo, Vissel Kobe and Gamba Osaka.{{cite web | url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/kazuma-watanabe/74513/ | title=Kazuma Watanabe Soccerway Profile | work=Soccerway | access-date=10 February 2019}}{{cite web | url=http://www2.gamba-osaka.net/club/player2019_39.html | title=Kazuma Watanabe Gamba Osaka Player Profile | work=Gamba Osaka | language = ja | access-date=11 March 2019}}

His older brother Daigo Watanabe was also a professional soccer player with Kyoto Sanga FC, Omiya Ardija, Busan IPark and Kamatamare Sanuki.{{cite news |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/08/09/soccer/j-league/fc-tokyos-watanabe-embracing-challenges-he-faces/#.XcdRpb97klI |title=FC Tokyo's Watanabe embracing challenges he faces |work=Japan Times |last1=McKirdy |first1=Andrew |date=9 August 2013 |access-date=9 November 2019 }}

Club career

Watanabe made his J-League debut for Yokohama F. Marinos against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on 7 March 2009 and scored his first league goal.{{cite web|work=The Guardian |title=Stats Centre: Kazuma Watanabe Facts |url=http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?Lang=0&CTID=63&CPID=147&pStr=Player&PLID=213706&TEID=3544 |access-date=3 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008164048/http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?Lang=0&CTID=63&CPID=147&pStr=Player&PLID=213706&TEID=3544 |archive-date=8 October 2011 }} He kept up his scoring exploits throughout the 2009 season and finished with 13 league goals which broke the previous record for a rookie player set by Shoji Jo in 1994. This earned him the young player of the year award 2009. During his next two seasons in Yokohama, he did not quite hit the heights of his debut year, but he did go on to amass a respectable 15 goals in 54 league games across 2010 and 2011.

Watanabe was transferred to FC Tokyo ahead of the 2012 season and in total he spent 3 seasons in Japan's capital. 2013 was a highlight for him as he bagged 17 goals in 33 league games to help the men in blue and red finish in eighth place in the final standings. However, his other two seasons with Tokyo were rather forgettable, he scored six times in 27 league games during his first year at the Ajinomoto Stadium in 2012 before finishing off his career in the capital by netting just three times in 26 league appearances.

This loss of form in 2014 saw him shipped off to join Vissel Kobe ahead of the 2015 campaign. The move west seemed to do him good as he was immediately back into double figures in terms of goals scored, ending the 2015 season with 10 goals in 28 league appearances. The following year was even better for him personally as he scored 12 goals in 33 league games, which helped Kobe to an impressive seventh-place finish in the overall standings in 2016. That would prove to be the pinnacle of his career in the port city as he followed it up with eight goals in 34 league games in 2017 before netting just four times in 19 games in the first half of the 2018 season.

Watanabe joined Gamba Osaka in August 2018 in a deal which saw Gamba forward Shun Nagasawa move in the opposite direction.{{cite web | url=http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/8273/ | title=Gamba Osaka News – Kazuma Watanabe signing | work=Gamba Osaka | language = ja | date= 13 August 2018 | access-date=13 August 2018 }} He made a scoring debut for the men in blue and black with a 27th-minute strike to break the deadlock in a league match away to Vegalta Sendai. Unfortunately for him and his team-mates his goal was not enough as Sendai fought back in the second half to finish as 2–1 winners.{{cite web | url=https://www.jleague.jp/en/match/j1/2018/081906/live/#live | title=Vegalta Sendia vs Gamba Osaka 19 August 2018 | work=J.League | date=19 August 2018 | access-date=10 February 2019 }} He ended the season with three goals in 12 league appearances to help Gamba to a ninth-place finish in the final league table.

In 2021 he joined Yokohama FC on a free transfer.{{cite web |title=FW 渡邉千真選手 ガンバ大阪より完全移籍加入のお知らせ |url=https://www.yokohamafc.com/2021/01/04/1400watanabe/ |website=横浜FCオフィシャルウェブサイト |access-date=22 April 2021 |language=ja}}

International career

Watanabe made his full, senior international debut for Japan on 6 January 2010 in a 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen. He started the match and was replaced in the 85th minute by Kensuke Nagai as Japan came from two goals down to run out 3–2 winners.{{cite web |url=http://www.japannationalfootballteam.com/en/players/watanabe_kazuma.html |title=WATANABE Kazuma - Japan National Football Team Database |website=www.japannationalfootballteam.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319192137/http://www.japannationalfootballteam.com/en/players/watanabe_kazuma.html |archive-date=19 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}

Career statistics

=Club=

Updated as of match played on 22 April 2021.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, [https://www.amazon.co.jp/2017-J1-J3%E9%81%B8%E6%89%8B%E5%90%8D%E9%91%91-NSK-MOOK/dp/4905411424/ref=pd_sim_14_1/356-9491148-0114816?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BA8BN4Y0F97GNWKQM78H "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)"], 8 February 2017, Japan, {{ISBN|978-4905411420}} (p. 58 out of 289){{cite web |title=Soccer D.B. : Kazuma Watanabe All-Time Record |url=https://soccer-db.net/player/history.php?pl=14641&la=e |website=Soccer D.B. |access-date=22 April 2021 |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422095310/https://soccer-db.net/player/history.php?pl=14641&la=e |url-status=dead }}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"|Club

!rowspan="2"|Season

!colspan="2"|League

!colspan="2"|Emperor's Cup

!colspan="2"|J.League Cup

!colspan="2"|AFC

!colspan="2"|Other1

!colspan="2"|Total

Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

rowspan="4"|Yokohama F. Marinos

|2009

|34

133484colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4521
2010

|24

82061colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|329
2011

|30

75152colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4010
colspan="1"|Total

!88||28||10||5||19||7||colspan="2"

|colspan="2"
|11740
rowspan="4"|FC Tokyo

|2012

|27

6103273103911
2013

|33

175141colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4219
2014

|26

33140colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|334
colspan="1"|Total

!86||26||9||2||11||3||7||3||1||0||114||34

rowspan="5"|Vissel Kobe

|2015

|28

104387colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4020
2016

|33

122273colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4217
2017

|34

85470colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|4612
2018

|19

42053colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|267
colspan="1"|Total

!114||34||13||9||27||13||colspan="2"

|colspan="2"
|15456
rowspan="4"|Gamba Osaka

|2018

|12

30000colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|123
20191831070colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|263
20203362020colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|376
colspan="1"|Total

!63||12||3||0||9||0||colspan="2"

|colspan="2"
|7512
rowspan="2"|Yokohama FC

|2021

800010colspan="2"
|colspan="2"
|90
colspan="1"|Total

!8||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"

|colspan="2"
|90
colspan="2"|Career total

!359||100||35||16||67||23||7||3||1||0||469||142

1Includes Japanese Super Cup.

=International=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan=3 | Japan national team

YearAppsGoals
201010
Total||1||0

Honours

=Individual=

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{NFT}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20190710075552/http://www.jfootball-db.com/en/players/watanabe_kazuma.html Japan National Football Team Database]
  • {{J.League player}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20090916025147/http://www.f-marinos.com/topteam/2009_fw09.html Profile at Yokohama F. Marinos] {{in lang|ja}}
  • [https://www.yokohamafc.com/player/2021_39_kazumawatanabe/ Profile at Yokohama FC] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Matsumoto Yamaga FC squad}}

{{J.League Rookie of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Kazuma}}

Category:1986 births

Category:Living people

Category:Waseda University alumni

Category:Association football people from Nagasaki Prefecture

Category:Japanese men's footballers

Category:Japan men's international footballers

Category:J1 League players

Category:J2 League players

Category:J3 League players

Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen

Category:Yokohama F. Marinos players

Category:FC Tokyo players

Category:Vissel Kobe players

Category:Gamba Osaka players

Category:Yokohama FC players

category:Matsumoto Yamaga FC players

Category:Men's association football forwards