 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Shinji Okazaki | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Hyōgo, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre Forward / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 1. FSV Mainz 05 | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Takigawa Daini High School | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2010 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 121 | (42) |
| 2011–2013 | VfB Stuttgart | 63 | (10) |
| 2013– | 1. FSV Mainz 05 | 12 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Japan U23 | 14 | (1) |
| 2008–[1] | Japan | 66 | (35) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:43, 22 June 2013 (UTC) | |||
Shinji Okazaki (岡崎 慎司 Okazaki Shinji, born 16 April 1986) is a Japanese football player currently playing for 1. FSV Mainz 05 of the German Bundesliga.
Career
Shimizu S-Pulse
After graduating Takigawa Daini High School in 2004, Okazaki signed full professional terms with Shimizu S-Pulse the following year. In December 2005, he made his first J. League appearance as a substitute againstSanfrecce Hiroshima.[2] On 15 April 2007, he scored his first professional goal against Kawasaki Frontale.[2]Okazaki ended his first season as a first team player with three goals from 13 matches.[2]
Okazaki scored ten times in 27 matches during the 2008 J. League season and also represented S-Pulse in the J. League Cup Final, where the team lost 2–0 to Oita Trinita.[2] He continued his promising goalscoring in the 2009 and 2010 seasons and, in January 2011, was signed by VfB Stuttgart of the German Bundesliga.[3]
VfB Stuttgart
On 30 January 2011. Okazaki signed a contract three-and-a-half year contract with Stuttgart.[4] On 17 February 2011, clearance to play for the club was granted for Okazaki by FIFA.[5] He made his competitive debut for VfB on the same night in a Europa League match at Benfica. On 20 February 2011, Okazaki made his Bundesliga debut for VfB against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Okazaki scored his first goal against Hannover 96, which he scored from outside the box.[6]
Okazaki came on as a second half substitute for Stuttgart in their first game of the 2011–12 Bundesligaseason against FC Schalke 04. His side were up 2–0 and Okazaki added a goal scoring from long range in the 90th minute, sealing a 3–0 win.[7] Okazaki's goal from a bicycle kick on 19 February 2012 in a Bundesliga match of VfB Stuttgart against Hannover 96 was selected Goal of the Month. After Yasuhiko Okudera in April 1978, Okazaki was the second player from Japan to win this award in Germany.[8]
Okazaki had a poor 2012–13 season, scoring only once in the Bundesliga. However, he scored his first goals in European competition with two goals against FC Steaua București in the Europa League.[2]
1. FSV Mainz 05[edit]
On 1 July 2013, Okazaki moved to 1. FSV Mainz 05.[9] He scored his first goal for Mainz on his debut in a 3–2 win against his former club Stuttgart on the opening matchday of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season.[10]
International career
After competing for the country's under-23 team at the 2008 Olympic Games in China, Okazaki made his full international debut for Japan against the United Arab Emirates in October 2008.[1] On 20 January 2009, he scored his first goal for Samurai Blue in the team's opening 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifier againstYemen.[1]
In October 2009, Okazaki scored hat-tricks in consecutive matches as Japan beat Hong Kong and Togo 6–0 and 5–0 respectively.[1] He was named The World's Top Goal Scorer of 2009 by the IFFHS for his 15 goals with the national team.[11]
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Okazaki was included in Japan's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and appeared as a substitute in all four of the team's matches. He scored once in the final Group E match, a 3–1 defeat of Denmark, to send the Japanese into the second round.[1]
On 8 October 2010, Okazaki scored the only goal as Japan beat Argentina 1–0 in friendly match to record its first ever win over the 1978 and 1986 world champions.[12]
Okazaki scored his third international hat-trick in a 5–0 Group B win against Saudi Arabia at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He then scored his kick in the semi-final shootout win over South Korea and played all 120 minutes of the final as Japan beat Australia to win the trophy for a fourth time.[1]
Okazaki finished as top goalscorer in the Asian section of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with eight goals.
Okazaki scored twice at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, against Italy and Mexico respectively. However, Japan lost all three of its matches and was eliminated at the end of the group stage.[13]
As of June 2013, Okazaki's record of 35 international goals makes him Japan's fourth highest goalscorer of all time.
