Kenji Arai
{{no significant coverage (sports)|date=November 2024}}
{{Short description|Japanese footballer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name=Kenji Arai
新井 健二
|image=
|fullname=
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1978|5|19}}
|birth_place=Saitama, Japan
|height={{Height|m=1.82}}
|position=Defender
|currentclub=
|youthyears1=1994–1996|youthclubs1=Tokiwa High School
|youthyears2=1997–2000|youthclubs2=Rissho University
|years1=2001–2003|clubs1=Albirex Niigata|caps1=26|goals1=0
|years2=2004–2005|clubs2=Albirex Niigata Singapore|caps2=51|goals2=6
|years3=2006–2009|clubs3=Singapore Armed Forces|caps3=119|goals3=15
|years4=2009–2010|clubs4=Sporting CG|caps4=|goals4=
|years5=2010|clubs5=Sengkang Punggol|caps5=17|goals5=3
|years6=2011–2012|clubs6=Home United|caps6=37|goals6=1
|totalcaps=250|totalgoals=25
}}
{{Nihongo|Kenji Arai|新井 健二|Arai Kenji|born May 19, 1978}} is a former Japanese professional football player.
Playing career
Arai entered professional football with Albirex Niigata after graduating from Rissho University in 2001 but was unable to hold on to the first team place although he played 20 league games for Albirex Niigata in his first season.{{cite web|publisher=Guardian.co.uk |title=Stats Centre: Kenji Arai Facts |url=http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?Lang=0&CTID=57&CPID=120&pStr=Player&PLID=78920&TEID=1403 |accessdate=2009-05-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601222644/http://guardian.touch-line.com/StatsCentre.asp?Lang=0&CTID=57&CPID=120&pStr=Player&PLID=78920&TEID=1403 |archivedate=2012-06-01 }} He was on loan to Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) in 2004 and in 2006 he secured a permanent move to Singapore Armed Forces FC.
He is also the second Japanese player, after his Singapore Armed Forces FC teammate Masahiro Fukasawa, to play in the AFC Champions League for a non-Japanese club. In November 2009, Kenji joined SC Goa.[http://www.indianfootball.com/en/news/articleId/2145 Indian Football] {{dead link|date=June 2023}} He returned to Singapore and joined Sengkang Punggol FC on 2010 and subsequently Home United FC in 2011.
Club statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||
| colspan=3 | Club performance
! colspan=2 | League ! colspan=2 | Cup ! colspan=2 | League Cup ! colspan=2 | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season
! Club ! League ! Apps | Goals
! Apps | Goals
! Apps | Goals
! Apps | Goals | ||||||
| colspan=3 |Japan
! colspan=2 | League ! colspan=2 | Emperor's Cup ! colspan=2 | J.League Cup ! colspan=2 | Total | ||||||||||
| 2001 | rowspan="3"|Albirex Niigata | rowspan="3"|J2 League | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2" | |||||
| |3 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2" | |||||
| |5 | 0 | |||||||||
| colspan=3 |Singapore
! colspan=2 | League ! colspan=2 | Singapore Cup ! colspan=2 | League Cup ! colspan=2 | Total | ||||||||||
| 2004 | rowspan="2" |Albirex Niigata Singapore | rowspan="2"|S. League | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2" | |||
| |27 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2005 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2" | |||||
| |28 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2006 | rowspan="4" |Singapore Armed Forces | rowspan="4"|S. League | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2" | |||
| |31 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2007 | 30 | 4 | 6 | 1 | colspan="2" | |||||
| |36 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2008 | 31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | colspan="2" | |||||
| |36 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2009 | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2| Country | colspan=2| Japan
!26||0||4||0||2||0||32||0 | |||||||||
| colspan=2|Singapore
!140||20||18||2||colspan="2" | ||||||||||
| |158 | 22 | |||||||||
| colspan=3|Total
!166||20||22||2||2||0||190||22 |
Honours
Albirex Niigata
- J2 League: 2003
Singapore Armed Forces
- S.League: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Singapore Cup: 2007, 2008
Videos
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH26aCCNV48 youtube.com]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|kenji--arai/24338}}
- {{J.League player|6435}}
- [http://ameblo.jp/kenji-arai ameblo.jp] (Official blog)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090326042655/http://data2.7m.cn/Player_data/48149/en/index.shtml data2.7m.cn]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arai, Kenji}}
Category:Rissho University alumni
Category:Association football people from Saitama Prefecture
Category:Japanese men's footballers
Category:Singapore Premier League players
Category:Albirex Niigata players
Category:Albirex Niigata Singapore F.C. players
Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen
Category:Hougang United FC players
Category:Lion City Sailors FC players
Category:Japanese expatriate men's footballers
Category:Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Singapore