Wataru Murofushi

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Wataru Murofushi

| full_name = Wataru Murofushi

| height = 1.72m

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|6|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Aichi, Japan

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 = 2011–2013

| youthclubs1 = Ichiritsu Funabashi High School

| collegeyears1 = 2014–2017

| college1 = Juntendo University

| collegecaps1 =

| collegegoals1 =

| years1 = 2018

| clubs1 = Albirex Niigata (S)

| caps1 = 22

| goals1 = 9

| years2 = 2019–2020

| clubs2 = York9

| caps2 = 30

| goals2 = 3

| years3 = 2021–2022

| clubs3 = Bucheon FC

| caps3 = 3

| goals3 = 0

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 =

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| club-update = 9 October 2021

| nationalteam-update =

}}

{{Nihongo|Wataru Murofushi|室伏航|Murofushi Wataru|born 13 June 1995}} is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for South Korean club Bucheon FC 1995.

Mainly acting as a central midfielder, he can also play in more offensive or more defensive positions of the midfield.{{Cite web|last=Slade|first=George|title=Bucheon Transfer - Wataru Murofushi|url=http://www.kleagueunited.com/2021/02/bucheon-transfer-wataru-murofushi.html|access-date=2021-02-18|website=K League United {{!}} South Korean football news, opinions, match previews and score predictions}}

Club career

=Albirex Niigata (S)=

After graduating from Juntendo University, Murofushi signed for Albirex Niigata Singapore,{{cite web|title=Wataru the new captain for 2018|url=http://www.albirex.com.sg/en/archives/28413/}}{{cite web |title=Wataru MUROFUSHI (Juntendo University) joins White Swans for 2018 season |url=http://www.albirex.com.sg/players-en/}} despite he originally intended to go to the United States to take trials.[https://torja.ca/wataru-murofusi/ 日本人選手として初めてゴールを上げる大快挙！カナダプレミアリーグ York9で活躍する室伏航選手インタビュー｜カナダで活躍する日本人] torja.ca

He debuted in the local Premier League on March 31, 2018, playing the entirety of the match against Tampines Rovers, ended in a 2-1 win for his side. His first goal came on April 14, when he took part in the White Swans' 2-0 win against DPMM, while he scored his first brace on June 3, in another victory (5-0) against the same team. He also scored two consecutive braces in the semi-final and the final of the local cup, eventually won by Albirex.

With a total amount of 28 appearances and 13 goals, Murofushi played a considerable role in the White Swans' brilliant season, which saw his team win all three domestic trophies (the SPL, the Singapore Cup and the Singapore Community Shield) completely unbeaten,{{Cite web|date=2019-05-27|title=How Japanese club Albirex Niigata scored big in Singapore soccer|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3011755/how-japanese-club-albirex-niigata-scored-big-singapore-soccer|access-date=2021-02-18|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}} while he was awarded as the Player of the Year, as well as nominated by fans for the league's Best XI.{{Cite news|url=http://www.fas.org.sg/fas-nite-2018-recognises-seasons-best-2/|title=FAS Nite 2018 recognises season's best - Football Association of Singapore|access-date=2018-10-13|language=en-US}}

=York9=

On January 22, 2019, Murofushi signed with Canadian side York9 (later renamed York United), which was set to participate in the debut season of the national Premier League.{{cite web |author1=Nate Hershenfeld |title=York9 FC signs Japanese midfielder Wataru Murofushi from Albirex Niigata Singapore FC |url=http://york9fc.canpl.ca/article/york9-fc-signs-japanese-midfielder-wataru-murofushi-from-albirex-niigata-singapore-fc |publisher=York 9 FC |accessdate=22 January 2019 |date=2019-01-22}}{{Cite web|title=Canadian Premier League announces unique format ahead of inaugural season|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5007685/canadian-premier-league-announces-unique-format-ahead-of-inaugural-season/|access-date=2021-02-18|website=900 CHML|language=en-US}} He made his debut in the CPL's inaugural match, when York9 played against Forge FC on April 27, 2019,{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5114121|first=Neil|last=Davidson|date=27 April 2019|title=Forge FC, York9 FC tie in Canadian Premier League's entertaining opener}} while he scored his first goal for York on August 25, 2019 against FC Edmonton.{{cite web|url=https://york9fc.canpl.ca/video/highlights-ryan-telfers-85th-minute-equalizer-splits-points-at-fc-edmonton|date=25 August 2019|title=HIGHLIGHTS: Ryan Telfer's 85th minute equalizer splits points at FC Edmonton}} With a total amount of 23 appearances and three goals, the Japanese was involved in the team's historic first season, ended in sixth place in the Spring round and in third place in the Autumn round. He also played six times in the Canadian Championship, where York reached the third qualifying round before being eliminated by the Montreal Impact after a two-legged tie.

Although the second season of the CPL was postponed and later rescheduled due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic,{{Cite web|date=2020-03-20|title=Canadian Premier League Commissioner Statement: Start of season postponed|url=https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-statement-on-covid-19|access-date=2021-02-18|website=Canadian Premier League|language=en-CA}} Murofushi was still able to join York for the so-called "Island Games" (as a shortened edition of the CPL was entirely organized in Charlottetown, on the Prince Edward Island){{Cite web|title=Canadian Premier League's Island Games: Everything you need to know - Sportsnet.ca|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/canadian-premier-leagues-island-games-everything-need-know/|access-date=2021-02-18|website=www.sportsnet.ca}}{{Cite news|title=P.E.I. to host Canadian pro soccer league season starting Aug. 13 {{!}} CBC News|language=en-US|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-sports-canadian-premier-soccer-league-announcement-1.5667088|access-date=2021-02-18}} and played in all of the seven matches his team was involved in, without scoring a single goal. However, York9 failed to progress to the second round of the competition as they finished in fifth place, just one point behind last-qualified Pacific.

=Bucheon=

On 9 February 2021, Murofushi signed with South Korean side Bucheon FC 1995, which was set to play in K League 2, for an undisclosed fee.{{cite web |author1=John Jacques |title=Bucheon FC Signs Former York United Midfielder Wataru Murofushi |url=https://northerntribune.ca/bucheon-fc-wataru-murofushi/ |publisher=Northern Tribune |access-date=10 February 2021 |date=9 February 2021}}

Career statistics

{{Updated|6 September 2020}}{{cite web |title=W. Murofushi |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/wataru-murofushi/542263// |publisher=Soccerway |accessdate=22 January 2019}}

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|National CupIncludes the Singapore Cup and Canadian Championship. !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|OtherIncludes the Singapore Community Shield. !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" Style="text-align: center" \|+ Club statistics
League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="2"\|Albirex Niigata (S) \|2018 \|Singapore Premier League \|22	9	5	4	colspan="2"\|—	1	0	28	13
colspan="2"\|Total !22	9	5	4	0	0	1	0	28	13
rowspan="3"\|York9 \|2019 \|Canadian Premier League \|23	3	6	0	colspan="2"\|—	0	0	29	3
2020 \|Canadian Premier League \|7	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	0	0	7	0
colspan="2"\|Total !30	3	6	0	0	0	0	0	36	3
rowspan="2"\|Bucheon FC 1995 \|2021 \|K League 2 \|0	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	0	0	0	0
colspan="2"\|Total !0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
colspan=3 \| Career total !52	12	11	4	0	0	1	0	64	16