Naoki Naruo

Position:FW
Born:5-Oct-1974
Height/Weight:174/70
Birthplace:Iwate
Previous Teams:Iwate U., Montedio Yamagata, Sony Sendai, Albirex Niigata, Jubilo Iwata, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Sagan Tosu
Matches (J1/J2): 3/120 Goals: 0/30
First Appearance: 14 Mar, 1999  Albirex Niigata -vs-  
First Goal : 4 Apr, 1999  Albirex Niigata -vs-

Bio

 

 

Photo Year Team Uniform # League Matches Cup Matches
Caps Goals Caps Goals
- 1997 Montedio Yamagata (JFL) - 12 5 0 0
- 1998 Sony Sendai (JFL) - 28 13 2 1
- 1999 Albirex Niigata 36 8 5 0
- 2000 Albirex Niigata 36 17 3 0
2001 Jubilo Iwata 0 0 0 0
2002- Jubilo Iwata 0 0 0 0
- -2002 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 0 0 0
2003 Sagan Tosu 38 5 1 0
2004 Sagan Tosu 0 0 10 0
J.League TOTAL 123 30 14 1
JFL Total 40 18   0


 

Tadashi Nakamura

Position: MF
Born:10-Jun-1971
Height/Weight:175/69
Birthplace:Tokyo
Previous Teams:Yomiuri SC Youth, Yomiuri SC, Verdy Kawasaki, Urawa Reds, Kyoto Purple Sanga, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Kyoto Purple Sanga
Appearances (J1/J2):257/26 Goals: 4/2
First Appearance: 15-May-1993 Verdy Kawasaki -vs- Yokohama Flugels (at Tokyo Nat'l Stadium)
First Goal : 19-Aug-1993 Verdy Kawasaki -vs- Nagoya Grampus (at Tokyo Nat'l Stadium)

Bio

Tadashi Nakamura was never a flashy star player, and his offensive skills were never a strong point. Despite appearing in over 300 matches in his long career, most of those appearances at defensive midfield, he scored just six goals. Nevertheless, Nakamura was always one of the steadiest and most consistent players in the league. With one exception -- 1997, when he picked up an ankle injury midway through the season -- Nakamura consistently appeared in 20-30 matches every season, and always had the energy to go the full distance.

Indeed, Nakamura's steady competence and longevity allowed him to establish himself as a team icon at not just one, but two separate clubs. He played at Verdy Kawasaki for over ten years (if one includes his time at Yomiuri SC, prior to the creation of the J.League) and by the time Verdy closed its doors in Kawasaki and reorganized, Nakamura had played more matches for the team than any other players except Tsuyoshi Kitazawa and Shinkichi Kikuchi.

After Verdy's reorganization, Nakamura found himself out in the cold, but he quickly found a spot at Kyoyo Purple Sanga, and remained with the team through two cycles of promotion and relegation, before finally calling a quit to his long and distinguished career, in 2004.


Photo Year Team Uniform # League Matches Cup Matches
Caps Goals Caps Goals
- 1993 Verdy Kawasaki 34 2 - -
- 1994 Verdy Kawasaki 21 0 - -
- 1995 Verdy Kawasaki 42 0 - -
- 1996 Verdy Kawasaki 27 1 - -
- 1997 Verdy Kawasaki 15 0 - -
- 1998 Verdy Kawasaki 31 1 - -
- 1999- Verdy Kawasaki 6 0 - -
  -1999 Urawa Reds 15 0 - -
2000 Kyoto Purple Sanga 25 0 - -
2001 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 26 2 - -
2002 Kyoto Purple Sanga 24 0 - -
2003 Kyoto Purple Sanga 17 0 - -
2004 Kyoto Purple Sanga 22 0 - -
J.League TOTAL 305 6 - -


 

Tetsuya Asano

Position: MF
Born: 23 Feb 1967
Height/Weight: 185/79
Birthplace: Ibaraki
Previous Teams: Toyota Motor, Nagoya Grampus, Urawa Reds, Nagoya Grampus, FC Tokyo, Kawasaki Frontale
Matches (J1/J2): 212/0 Goals: 19/0
First Appearance: 16-May-1993 Nagoya Grampus -vs- Kashima Antlers (at Kashima Std.)
First Goal : 4-Aug-1993 Nagoya Grampus -vs- JEF United Ichihara (at Ichihara Seaside Std)

Bio

 Tetsuya Asano was one of the JLeague's first "midfield enforcers", earning the respect of opponents and fans alike with his uncompromising play in the solid center of the Nagoya Grampus formation. Asano joined Toyota Motor FC way back in the JSL era, in 1987. By the time the team changed its name to Nagoya Grampus he had already secured his place as a regular. He even won a few calls to the National Team, playing eight times and scoring once for the Samurai Blue.

Over the next decade Asano was a steady contributor and even something of a team leader. Apart from a one-year loan to Urawa Reds, in 1994, he remained with Grampus until the turn of the century, by which time his career was winding down. He failed to find a spot at either FC Tokyo or Kawasaki Frontale, and decided to retire in 2001. However, his keen knowledge of the game was still valued by many in the J.League, and he quickly found work in the coaching ranks. Since retiring, Asano has coached at Shonan Bellmare, Iga FC, Kagoshima United and Nagano Parceiro. 


 

Photo Year Team Uniform # League Matches Cup Matches
Caps Goals Caps Goals
- 1987-92 Toyota Motor - 78 12 9 0
- 1993 Nagoya Grampus 20 1 3 1
- 1994- Nagoya Grampus 3 0 0 0
- -1994 Urawa Reds 29 2 5 1
- 1995 Nagoya Grampus 50 4 5 3
- 1996 Nagoya Grampus 29 5 14 2
- 1997 Nagoya Grampus 29 4 11 0
- 1998 Nagoya Grampus 23 2 5 0
1999 Nagoya Grampus 13 1 2 0
2000 FC Tokyo 8 0 0 0
2001 Kawasaki Frontale 8 0 6 0
J.League TOTAL 212 19 50 7
JSL TOTAL 78 12 9 0


 

Yuta Abe

Position: MF
Born: 31 Jul, 1974
Height/Weight: 177/71
Birthplace: Yamaguchi
Previous Teams: Tatara Gakuen HS, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Vissel Kobe
Matches (J1/J2): 76/- Goals: 3/-
First Appearance: 15 Jun, 1994  Sanfrecce -vs-
First Goal : 25 Mar, 1998  Vissel -vs- 

Bio

 

 

Photo Year Team Uniform  League Matches Cup Matches
Caps Goals Caps Goals
- 1993 Sanfrecce Hiroshima  0 0 2 0
- 1994 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1 0 0 0
- 1996 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 0 9 1
- 1997 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 0 0 0
- 1998 Vissel Kobe 30 2 3 0
1999 Vissel Kobe 25 1 2 0
2000 Vissel Kobe 11 0 0 0
J.League TOTAL 76 3 16 1

 


 

Ruy Ramos

Position: Midfield
Born: 9-Feb-1957
Height/Weight: 183/65
Birthplace: Brazil
Previous Teams: Yomiuri Club; Verdy Kawasaki; Kyoto Purple Sanga; Kariyushi FC
Appearances (J1/JSL): 79/130 Goals (J1/JSL): 9/60
First Appearance: 15-May-1993 Verdy Kawasaki -vs- Yokohama Marinos (at National Stadium)
First Goal

Bio

Despite the fact that he was born in Brazil, and is a naturalised citizen, Ruy Ramos has become the icon of football in Japan, and surpasses even stars like Hidetoshi Nakata or Kazuyoshi Miura as the most widely recognized face and name in the sport. Born "Ruy Goncalves Ramos Sobrinho", in Rio de Janeiro, Ramos moved to Japan in 1977 and joined the Yomiuri Club -- the team which would later become Verdy Kawasaki. Ramos became very attached to his adopted country, married a Japanese woman and settled down in the country. By 1989, he had been living in Japan for 12 years and was highly fluent in Japanese. Feeling certain that he would remain in the country for the rest of his life, he decided to apply for Japanese citizenship. Although other players would later follow in his footsteps, at the time (1989), it seemed almost a revolutionary move.

But Japanese football fans quickly took Ramos to their heart, and he became one of the most popular players on the national team. Though his J.League statistics are not particularly impressive, when one considers that he was already 36 when the league was formed, and continued playing until the age of 42, even his J.League accomplishments are phenomenal. As for his overall record in Japan, he played in 209 league matches (130 in the old JSL) and scored 69 goals (all but 9 prior to the J.League's formation). He also played 35 matches for the Japan national team between 1990 and 1995. When he finally retired from the J.League, at the age of 42, in 1998, his retirement match was a huge media event which drew 48,000 fans and was broadcast live on national TV. Though his J.League career was really just the last fading chapter of a much greater football story, the J.League would have been so much the poorer, had it not been for the great "Carioca".


Photo Year Team Uniform # League Matches Cup Matches
Caps Goals Caps Goals
  1977-92 Yomiuri Club   214 74 72 22
  1993 Verdy Kawasaki   30 4 2 0
  1994 Verdy Kawasaki   26 3 3 0
  1995 Verdy Kawasaki   23 3 0 0
  1996- Verdy Kawasaki   9 0 0 0
  -1996 Kyoto Sanga   10 0 11 2
  1997- Kyoto Sanga   10 0 2 0
  -1997 Verdy Kawasaki   10 0 2 0
  1998 Verdy Kawasaki   29 0 1 0
J.League TOTAL 147 10 21 2


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