Norio Sasaki

{{Infobox football biography

|name=Norio Sasaki
{{nobold|佐々木則夫}}

|image=Norio Sasaki 2015.jpg

|image_size=

|caption=Sasaki in 2015

|fullname=Norio Sasaki

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1958|5|24|df=yes}}

|birth_place=Obanazawa, Yamagata, Japan

|death_date=

|death_place=

|height={{Height|m=1.75}}

|position=Midfielder

|currentclub =

|clubnumber=

|youthyears1=1974–1976|youthclubs1=Teikyo High School

|youthyears2=1977–1980|youthclubs2=Meiji University

|years1=1981–1991|clubs1=NTT Kanto|caps1=25|goals1=2

|totalcaps=25|totalgoals=2

|nationalyears1=|nationalteam1=|nationalcaps1=|nationalgoals1=

|manageryears1=1997–1998|managerclubs1=Omiya Ardija

|manageryears2=2006|managerclubs2=Japan women U-17

|manageryears3=2007–2010|managerclubs3=Japan women U-20

|manageryears4=2008–2016|managerclubs4=Japan women

|manageryears5=2021|managerclubs5=Omiya Ardija Ventus

|manageryears6=2024|managerclubs6=Japan women (interim)

|medaltemplates=

{{Medal|Country|{{Fbw|JPN}}}}

}}

{{Nihongo|Norio Sasaki|佐々木則夫|Sasaki Norio|born 24 May 1958}} is a Japanese football coach and former player.{{cite news |title=女子の新チーム名は「大宮アルディージャVENTUS」。佐々木総監督、岡本監督、大野コーチ、平井フィジカルコーチの就任決定！ |url=https://www.ardija.co.jp/news/detail/17142.html |access-date=19 February 2021 |publisher=Omiya Ardija |date=10 January 2021}} He is best known for leading the Japanese women's national team to their first and only FIFA Women's World Cup win in 2011 over the United States on penalty shootouts.{{cite web|script-title=ja:なでしこジャパン（日本女子代表チーム）新監督に佐々木則夫氏が就任！|url=http://www.jfa.or.jp/archive/women/daihyo/news/071207_03.html|publisher=Japan Football Association (jfa.or.jp)|access-date=13 July 2011|language=ja|date=2007-12-07}} He retired as head coach in March 2016 after eight years.{{Cite web|url=http://equalizersoccer.com/2016/03/10/norio-sasaki-steps-down-japan-womens-soccer-coach/|title=Sasaki steps down as Japan coach after Rio failure|date=2016-03-10|website=Equalizer Soccer|access-date=2016-06-01}} Sasaki also coached the Japan women's U-20 national team starting in 2007.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Playing career

Sasaki studied at and played for Teikyo High School and Meiji University. At Teikyo High School, he won the national inter-high school competition as team captain. His high school club also advanced to the semi-final at the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

After graduating from Meiji University, Sasaki started to work for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone and joined company club NTT Kanto. He was a midfielder/defender. He contributed to the club's promotion to Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1986.

Sasaki retired from playing at the age of 33.

Coaching career

Sasaki served as the head coach of Japan Football League side Omiya Ardija in 1998, then took various other positions at Omiya, including the youth team head-coach and the head of development.

In 2006, Sasaki became the assistant coach of Japan women's national football team, as well as the head coach of its U-20 team. In 2008, he was promoted to the head coach of the national team, succeeding Hiroshi Ohashi.

Under Sasaki's reign, Nadeshiko won the EAFF Women's Football Championship in 2008 and again in 2010. He also led the Japan Women to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Sasaki and his team won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, which upset host nation Germany and then Sweden to reach the tournament final, and beat the United States 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out in the final. Nadeshiko became the 19th recipient of Japan's People's Honour Award for winning the World Cup. On 9 January 2012, Sasaki was awarded the Women's Best Coach Award in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or.{{cite web |url= https://www.fifa.com/ballondor/archive/edition=1999902011/coachoftheyear/coach=277159/index.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121030083555/http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/archive/edition=1999902011/coachoftheyear/coach=277159/index.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= 30 October 2012|title= FIFA Ballon d'Or: Norio Sasaki|work= fifa.com|publisher= FIFA|access-date= 12 October 2012}}

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sasaki led Japan to their first Olympic medal, a silver, after reaching the final but losing 2–1 to the United States in the final.

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, Sasaki, who attempted to become only the 2nd coach since Vittorio Pozzo's Italian team 77 years ago to win two FIFA World Cup finals, oversaw a 2nd-place effort, as the Japanese lost 5–2 to the US in the final.

At 2016 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, following Japan's failure to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Sasaki stepped down as head coach of the team. He was succeeded by Asako Takakura.

Honours

=Managerial honours=

;Japan Women

EAFF Women's Football Championship: 2008, 2010
Asian Games: 2010, Runner-up: 2014
FIFA Women's World Cup: 2011, Runner-up: 2015
Olympic Silver Medal: 2012
AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2014

;Individual

AFC Coach of the Year: 2011
FIFA World Women's Coach of the year: 2011
Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2019{{cite web |url= https://www.jfa.jp/eng/about_jfa/hall_of_fame/member/SASAKI_Norio.html|title= SASAKI Norio|access-date= March 5, 2024|work= Japan Football Association}}

;Decorations