Shinji Okazaki

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Shinji Okazaki
File:Shinji okazaki.jpg
Personal information
Full name Shinji Okazaki[1]
Date of birth (1986-04-16) 16 April 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Leicester City
Number 20
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)
2013–2015 1. FSV Mainz 05 65 (27)
2015– Leicester City 36 (5)
International career‡
2007–2008 Japan U23 14 (1)
2008– Japan 100 (48)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:02, 17 May 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:34, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Shinji Okazaki (Japanese: 岡崎 慎司; born 16 April 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays for Leicester City, and for the Japan national football team as a forward.

At club level, Okazaki is the most prolific Japanese player in Bundesliga history. Internationally, he is currently the top active Japan national team goalscorer and third all-time in team history with 48 goals.

Club 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 against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. On 15 April 2007, he scored his first professional goal against Kawasaki Frontale. Okazaki ended his first season as a first team player with three goals from 13 matches.

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. He continued his promising goalscoring in the 2009 and 2010 seasons and, in January 2011, was signed by German side VfB Stuttgart of the Bundesliga.[3]

VfB Stuttgart

File:Dinamo-Stutgart (5).jpg
Okazaki with the VfB Stuttgart in 2012

On 30 January 2011, Okazaki signed a 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 against 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 Bundesliga season 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.

1. FSV Mainz 05

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] At the end of the season he ended with 15 league goals.

Okazaki became the most prolific Japanese player in Bundesliga history on 13 September 2014, scoring his 27th and 28th league goals in Mainz's 3–1 win over Hertha Berlin.[11]

Leicester City

On 26 June 2015, Okazaki moved to Premier League side Leicester City for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million, subject to obtaining a work permit.[12] He made his debut for the club on 8 August 2015 in Leicester City's 4–2 opening day win against Sunderland, and scored his first goal for the club the following week in a 2–1 win against West Ham United. On 19 December 2015, Okazaki scored the winner in a 3−2 win over Everton at Goodison Park, to ensure that Leicester City topped the table at Christmas.[13] On 10 January 2016, Okazaki scored Leicester's second goal in the FA Cup clash at White Hart Lane with Tottenham Hotspur despite drawing to a late Harry Kane penalty in the 90th minute. On 14 March 2016, Okazaki scored the winning goal for Leicester in a league fixture against Newcastle United. The goal was a spectacular overhead strike that won Leicester City the game 1–0 and took them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.[14] Okazaki went on to win the league that year after Spurs drew with Chelsea on 2 May 2016, thus becoming the second Japanese player to win the Premier League.[15]

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.[16] On 20 January 2009, he scored his first goal for Samurai Blue in the team's opening 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen.[16]

In October 2009, Okazaki scored hat-tricks in consecutive matches as Japan beat Hong Kong and Togo 6–0 and 5–0 respectively.[16] He was named The World's Top Goal Scorer of 2009 by the IFFHS for his 15 goals with the national team.[17]

File:Flickr - tpower1978 - International friendly match (1) cropped.jpg
Okazaki with the Japan national football team

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.[16]

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.[18]

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.[16]

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.[19]

In June 2014, Okazaki was selected in Japan's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[20] In the team's third group match, a 4–1 defeat to Colombia, he scored Samurai Blue's only goal with a header in the 45th minute.[21]

Okazaki was included in Japan's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and scored in a 4–0 defeat of Palestine during the group stage.[22]

Okazaki is currently the top active Japan national team goalscorer and third all-time in team history with 48 international goals.

Career statistics

Club

As of 15 May 2016[23][24]
Club Season League League Cup1 League Cup2 Continental3 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Shimizu S-Pulse
 Japan		 2005 J. League Division 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 - 5 0
2006 7 0 3 0 2 0 - 12 0
2007 21 5 2 0 2 0 - 25 5
2008 27 10 2 1 5 0 - 34 11
2009 34 14 3 2 4 1 - 41 17
2010 31 13 4 2 2 1 - 37 16
Total 121 42 17 5 16 2 - 154 49
VfB Stuttgart
 Germany		 2010–11 Bundesliga 12 2 - - 2 0 14 2
2011–12 26 7 3 0 - - 29 7
2012–13 25 1 6 1 - 11 2 42 4
Total 63 10 9 1 - 13 2 85 13
1. FSV Mainz 05
 Germany		 2013–14 Bundesliga 33 15 2 0 - - 35 15
2014–15 32 12 1 1 - 2 1 35 14
Total 65 27 3 1 - 2 1 70 29
Leicester City
 England		 2015–16 Premier League 36 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 39 6
Total 36 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 39 6
Career total 285 84 31 8 17 2 15 3 348 97
1Includes Emperor's Cup and DFB-Pokal.
2Includes J. League Cup.
3Includes UEFA Europa League.

International

As of 24 March 2016
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