Takayuki Morimoto

Personal information
Full name	Takayuki Morimoto
Date of birth	(1988-05-07) May 7, 1988 (age 24)
Place of birth	Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Novara
Number	11
Youth career
1995–1997	Tsudayama F.C.
1998–2000	Yomiuri S.C.
2001–2004	Tokyo Verdy 1969
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	Tokyo Verdy 1969	46	(5)
2006–2011	Catania	81	(15)
2011–	Novara	18	(4)
National team‡
2004–2005	Japan U-20	8	(2)
2008	Japan U-23	10	(1)
2009–	Japan	10	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 May 2012

Takayuki Morimoto (森本 貴幸, Morimoto Takayuki^?, born 7 May 1988 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa) is a Japanese footballer who plays for Novara in the Serie A, in a co-ownership bid with Catania.

Morimoto holds the record for the youngest Japanese player to make his professional debut and the youngest scorer in J. League history. He has been compared to a young Ronaldo for the combination of his size, strength and speed.^[1]

Club career[link]

Youth career[link]

Morimoto began his youth career with Tsudayama FC in 1995, before transferring to Verdy Junior in 1998. After three year, Morimoto moved to Verdy Junior Youth in 2001, and remained until 2004, when he was sold to Tokyo Verdy 1969.

Tokyo Verdy 1969[link]

On 13 March 2004, Morimoto made his J. League debut for Tokyo Verdy 1969 against Júbilo Iwata at the age of 15 years, 10 months and 6 days, a league record for youngest player to debut. He scored his first goal against JEF United Ichihara on May 5 of the same year, two days before his 16th birthday, another league record for youngest goal scorer.^[2] He captured the J. League Rookie of the Year Award for the 2004 season.^[3] On July 23, 2006, Tokyo Verdy 1969 announced a one-year loan deal sending Morimoto to Calcio Catania of the Serie A.^[4]

Calcio Catania[link]

Morimoto made his Serie A debut on January 28, 2007 during an away game against Atalanta B.C..^[5] He entered the game at the 83rd minute and scored the equalising goal, his first in a Serie A match, just five minutes later.^[6] On March 13, 2007, it was confirmed by Catania that Morimoto had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and would be out for at least six months, ruling him out for the rest of the 2006–07 season. Despite the serious injury, Catania recognised his true potential and he completed a permanent transfer deal with Catania on June 2007.

On December 14, 2008, Morimoto signed a contract extension with Catania, a three-year deal lasting to 2011.^[7]

Morimoto had a breakthrough season for Catania during the 2008–09 season, as he scored 10 goals in 25 league and cup games, while also being credited with several assists.v Brazilian and A.C. Milan star Alexandre Pato told Corriere Dello Sport that he believes Morimoto is the best young player in Serie A and has compared him to Brazilian legend Ronaldo.^[8]

Despite all the talent and all the potential, the striker has never really lived up to all the expectations following an improvement in each of his first three seasons in Sicily. During the 2009-10 Serie A season, Morimoto scored an additional 5 goals, and has 1 goal to his credit thus far during the 2010-11 campaign. His performances have often been over-shadowed by the likes of Giuseppe Mascara, Maxi Lopez, Jorge Andres Martinez, and Gionatha Spinesi throughout his time in Sicily. The newly signed Argentine International, Gonzalo Bergessio, is also likely to limit chances for the young Japanese striker.

Novara Calcio[link]

On 11 July 2011, Catania confirmed to have sold Morimoto to newly-promoted Serie A club Novara in a co-ownership bid.^[9]. At the end of the season, Novara is relegated in Serie B, but Morimoto proves to be the best Novara player of the season, being the most prolific forward of the team scoring 4 goals.

International career[link]

Morimoto has represented Japan at the U-20 level at both the 2004 AFC Youth Championship and the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In 2008, he was a member of the Japanese national football team for the Beijing Olympics,^[10] where the team was eliminated in the preliminary round, losing all three matches and only managing to score one goal.

On 10 October 2009, he made his debut for the senior national team against Scotland coming on as a substitute for Ryoichi Maeda in a 2–0 win. On 14 October 2009, he made his first start and scored his first goal against Togo in a 5–0 win.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

Statistics accurate as of match played 12 April 2011^[11]

¹Includes Emperor's Cup and Coppa Italia.

²Includes J. League Cup.

International[link]

As of 8 October 2010

National team Year Apps Goals Japan U-20 2004 4 2 2005 4 0 Total 8 2 Japan U-23 2008 10 1 Total 10 1 Japan 2009 2 1 2010 7 2 2012 1 0 Total 10 3

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition 2004 25 September 2004 Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru Nepal U-19 3–0 0 2004 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U-19 27 September 2004 Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru Malaysia U-19 3–0 1 2004 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U-19 29 September 2004 Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru Vietnam U-19 1–0 1 2004 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U-19 6 October 2004 Cheras Stadium, Kuala Lumpur South Korea U-19 2–2 0 2004 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U-19 2005 10 June 2005 Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Kerkrade Netherlands U-20 2–1 0 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship / Japan U-20 15 June 2005 Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Kerkrade Benin U-20 1–1 0 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship / Japan U-20 18 June 2005 Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Kerkrade Australia U-20 1–1 0 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship / Japan U-20 21 June 2005 De Grolsch Veste, Enschede Morocco U-20 0–1 0 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship / Japan U-20 2008 20 May 2008 Stade Mayol, Toulon Netherlands U-23 1–0 0 2008 Toulon Tournament / Japan U-23 22 May 2008 Stade Perruc, Hyères France U-23 2–1 1 2008 Toulon Tournament / Japan U-23 24 May 2008 Stade Jean Murat, Solliès-Pont Chile U-23 0–2 0 2008 Toulon Tournament / Japan U-23 27 May 2008 Stade Mayol, Toulon Italy U-23 0–0 0 2008 Toulon Tournament / Japan U-23 29 May 2008 Stade Mayol, Toulon Côte d'Ivoire U-23 2–2 0 2008 Toulon Tournament / Japan U-23 12 June 2008 National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo Cameroon U-23 0–0 0 Friendly Match / Japan U-23 24 July 2008 Home's Stadium Kobe, Kobe Australia U-23 2–1 0 Friendly Match / Japan U-23 29 July 2008 National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo Argentina U-23 0–1 0 Friendly Match / Japan U-23 7 August 2008 Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin United States U-23 0–1 0 2008 Summer Olympics / Japan U-23 13 August 2008 Shenyang Olympic Stadium, Shenyang Netherlands U-23 0–1 0 2008 Summer Olympics / Japan U-23 2009 1. 10 October 2009 International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama  Scotland 2–0 0 Friendly Match 2. 14 October 2009 Miyagi Stadium, Miyagi  Togo 5–0 1 Friendly Match 2010 3. 3 March 2010 Toyota Stadium, Toyota  Bahrain 2–0 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification 4. 24 May 2010 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama  South Korea 0–2 0 Friendly Match 5. 30 May 2010 UPC-Arena, Graz  England 1–2 0 Friendly Match 6. 4 June 2010 Stade Tourbillon, Sion  Côte d'Ivoire 0–2 0 Friendly Match 7. 4 September 2010 International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama  Paraguay 1–0 0 Friendly Match 8. 7 September 2010 Nagai Stadium, Osaka  Guatemala 2–1 2 Friendly Match 9. 8 October 2010 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama  Argentina 1–0 0 Friendly Match

Awards and honours[link]

Club[link]

Tokyo Verdy 1969

• Emperor's Cup: 1

2004

• Japanese Super Cup: 1

2005

Individual[link]

• J. League Rookie of the Year: 1

2004

• Manchester United Premier Cup Most Valuable Player: 1

2003

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Takayuki Morimoto

• Takayuki Morimoto – FIFA competition record
• Takayuki Morimoto at National-Football-Teams.com
• Takayuki Morimoto at Catania official site (Italian)

Japan Squad v t e Japan squad – 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship 1 Matsui 2 Mizumoto 3 Yoshihiro 4 Kobayashi 5 Masushima 6 Inoha 7 Kajiyama 8 Nakamura 9 Hirayama 10 Hyodo 11 Cullen 12 Mizuno 13 Honda 14 Funatani 15 Aoyama 16 Nagira 17 Ienaga 18 Yamamoto 19 Maeda 20 Morimoto 21 Nishikawa Coach: Okuma v t e Japan squad – 2008 Summer Olympics 1 Nishikawa 2 Hosogai 3 Yoshida 4 Mizumoto 5 Nagatomo 6 Morishige 7 Uchida 8 K. Honda 9 Toyoda 10 Kajiyama 11 Okazaki 12 Taniguchi 13 Yasuda 14 Kagawa 15 Morimoto 16 T. Honda 17 Lee 18 Yamamoto Coach: Sorimachi v t e Japan squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Narazaki 2 Abe 3 Komano 4 Túlio 5 Nagatomo 6 Uchida 7 Endo 8 Matsui 9 Okazaki 10 S. Nakamura 11 Tamada 12 Yano 13 Iwamasa 14 K. Nakamura 15 Konno 16 Ōkubo 17 Hasebe 18 Honda 19 Morimoto 20 Inamoto 21 Kawashima 22 Nakazawa 23 Kawaguchi (c) Coach: Okada

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Keisuke Honda

Personal information
Full name	Keisuke Honda
Date of birth	(1986-06-13) 13 June 1986 (age 26)
Place of birth	Osaka, Japan
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	CSKA Moscow
Number	7
Youth career
	Settsu FC
1999–2001	Gamba Osaka
2002–2004	Seiryō High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2007	Nagoya Grampus	90	(11)
2008–2010	VVV-Venlo	68	(24)
2010–	CSKA Moscow	53	(12)
National team‡
2005	Japan U-20	1	(0)
2006–2008	Japan U-23	18	(5)
2008–	Japan	32	(8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:04, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 May 2012

Keisuke Honda (本田 圭佑, Honda Keisuke^?, born 13 June 1986) is a Japanese footballer who currently plays for CSKA Moscow and the Japan national football team. His current position is as a deep-lying playmaker, but he can equally play as an attacking midfielder or second striker. He is also a very skilled free kick taker, scoring one in the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Honda was born in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He started playing football for the local club; Settsu FC, he started there when he was in second grade at primary school. He entered Seiryo High School in Ishikawa Prefecture and chose to play for the school. He was one of the best players in the team and the school team advanced to the semi-finals of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. This was the first time a school from Ishikawa Prefecture had reached the semi-finals of the competition.^[1]

In 2004 he was selected as a Designated Player for Development by the J-League and JFA.

Nagoya Grampus[link]

Because of this status, Honda was able to register as a Nagoya Grampus player while he was still eligible to play for his high school. He played one J. League Cup match for Nagoya while he was still a boy student.

After his graduation, he officially joined Nagoya in 2005. He started the first match of the season and recorded an assist. In 2006, he became a regular in the club.

VVV-Venlo[link]

Honda with VVV-Venlo

Honda celebrates his goal against FC Groningen at the De Koel stadium on August 22, 2009

On January 16, 2008, Honda signed a two and half year deal with Eredivisie side VVV-Venlo. The team was relegated to the Eerste Divisie, the second division after the 07-08 season and was in the division for the 08-09 season. In the 08-09 season, he scored 16 goals in 36 league appearances to help the team to be promoted to Eredivisie for the 09-10 season. He became known as 'Keizer Keisuke' (Emperor Keisuke) among the fans of VVV-Venlo.^[2]

CSKA Moscow[link]

At the end of December 2009, Honda transferred to Russian club CSKA Moscow.^[3] Honda signed a 4 year contract.^[4] The transfer fee was undisclosed, but VVV-Venlo was said to be very content with the fee as it almost matched their asking price; it is believed to be in the region of 6 million euros.^[2]

Honda made his debut for CSKA in the UEFA Champions League match against Sevilla.^[5] In the second leg in Seville, he scored the winning goal through a direct free kick for CSKA after having set up the first goal for Tomáš Necid. This secured a 2–1 (3–2 aggregate) victory to send the club to the quarterfinals, making Honda the first Japanese player to be in the quarterfinals as well as the first to score in the knock-out stages.

Honda scored his first league goal on 12 March 2010, in the home match against Amkar Perm. He scored the goal in the third minute of injury time, slotting home a pass from Necid with his left. With the goal, he secured the win for CSKA Moscow.^[6]

International career[link]

He was a member of the Japan team for 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and played for U-23 national team, that qualified for 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament finals. He made a full international debut for Japan on June 22, 2008 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bahrain. On 14 July 2008, he was formally named as one of the midfielders of the Japanese U-23 national football team for the Beijing Olympics football competition.^[7] He scored his first goal for senior national team on 27 May 2009 in a friendly match against Chile at Nagai Stadium in Osaka. He is given the nickname "Emperor Keisuke".

2010 World Cup[link]

Honda scored Japan's winning goal in their first 2010 World Cup match against Cameroon, finishing off Daisuke Matsui's cross into the top left corner of the net and this was the only goal in the match. His performance in the game gained him the Man of the Match Award from FIFA. In the final group-stage game against Denmark, he scored a free kick in the 17th minute from 30 yards out before turning provider for Shinji Okazaki after making his way into the penalty area, with a Cruyff Turn that beat a Denmark player, in the 88th minute to make the score 3–1 to Japan, a performance that earned him the man of the match award once more and Japan qualified for the second round where they were eliminated by Paraguay after 0–0 a.e.t. and 4–5 at penalties (Honda scored his penalty).^[8] Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian cited him as a 'false nine': a player superficially employed as a centre forward but moving deeper to pull the opposition defence around the pitch.^[9]

2011 AFC Asian Cup[link]

Honda was included in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. In the game against Syria he scored a penalty kick making the score 2–1 for Japan. He earned player of the match for that game. In the semi-finals against Korea Republic, he took a penalty kick, but was blocked by Jung Sung-Ryong. However, in the penalty shoot out of the game, he scored. Again, he earned player of the match.

Honda was awarded the most valuable player of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

Personal life[link]

Honda's elder brother was also a footballer. Honda's uncle Daizaburo Honda was a canoeist who represented Japan in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Daizaburo's son and Keisuke's cousin Tamon Honda participated in three Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling in 1984, 1988, and 1992 and is now a professional wrestler.^[10]

Career statistics[link]

As of March 17, 2011

Club[link]

^*Includes other competitive competitions, including the Eredivisie/Eerste Divisie Relegation, Russian Super Cup and UEFA Europa League.

International[link]

Honda in training (August 21, 2009)

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.

Under-23[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	7 August 2006	Qinhuangdao Olympic Stadium, Qinhuangdao	China PR	1–0	2–0	Friendly Match
2.	29 November 2006	Qatar SC Stadium, Doha	Pakistan	1–0	3–2	2006 Asian Games
3.	18 April 2007	Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus	Syria	1–0	2–0	2008 Summer Olympics qualification
4.	16 May 2007	Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong	Hong Kong	3–0	4–0	2008 Summer Olympics qualification
5.	17 November 2007	My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi	Vietnam	3–0	4–0	2008 Summer Olympics qualification

Senior team[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	27 May 2009	Nagai Stadium, Osaka	Chile	4–0	4–0	2009 Kirin Cup
2.	10 October 2009	Nissan Stadium, Yokohama	Scotland	2–0	2–0	Friendly Match (2009 Kirin Challenge Cup)
3.	14 October 2009	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu	Togo	5–0	5–0	Friendly Match (2009 Kirin Challenge Cup)
4.	3 March 2010	Toyota Stadium, Toyota	Bahrain	2–0	2–0	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
5.	14 June 2010	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	Cameroon	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
6.	24 June 2010	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg	Denmark	1–0	3–1	2010 FIFA World Cup
7.	13 January 2011	Qatar SC Stadium, Doha	Syria	2–1	2–1	2011 AFC Asian Cup
8.	10 August 2011	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo	South Korea	2–0	3–0	Friendly Match (2011 Kirin Challenge Cup)

Appearances in major competitions[link]

Team	Competition	Category	Appearances		Goals	Team Result
			Start	Sub
Japan	2005 FIFA World Youth Championship	U-20	1	0	0	Round of 16
Japan	2008 Summer Olympics qualification	U-22	10	0	3	Qualified
Japan	2008 Summer Olympics	U-23	3	0	0	Round 1
Japan	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	Senior	1	2	0	Qualified
Japan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Senior	1	2	1	Qualified
Japan	2010 FIFA World Cup	Senior	4	0	2	Round of 16
Japan	2011 AFC Asian Cup	Senior	5	0	1	Champions

Awards and honours[link]

Japan[link]

• AFC Asian Cup: 1

2011

Club[link]

VVV-Venlo

• Eerste Divisie: 1

2008–09

CSKA Moscow

• Russian Cup: 1

2010–11

Individual[link]

• AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player: 1

2011

• Japanese Footballer of the Year: 1

2010

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keisuke Honda

• Official site (Japanese)
• Keisuke Honda – balance inc. (sports management company) (Japanese) (English)
• ESPN Profile
• pfc-cska.org Profile

Japan Squads v t e Japan squad – 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship 1 Matsui 2 Mizumoto 3 Yoshihiro 4 Kobayashi 5 Masushima 6 Inoha 7 Kajiyama 8 Nakamura 9 Hirayama 10 Hyodo 11 Cullen 12 Mizuno 13 Honda 14 Funatani 15 Aoyama 16 Nagira 17 Ienaga 18 Yamamoto 19 Maeda 20 Morimoto 21 Nishikawa Coach: Okuma v t e Japan squad – 2008 Summer Olympics 1 Nishikawa 2 Hosogai 3 Yoshida 4 Mizumoto 5 Nagatomo 6 Morishige 7 Uchida 8 K. Honda 9 Toyoda 10 Kajiyama 11 Okazaki 12 Taniguchi 13 Yasuda 14 Kagawa 15 Morimoto 16 T. Honda 17 Lee 18 Yamamoto Coach: Sorimachi v t e Japan squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Narazaki 2 Abe 3 Komano 4 Túlio 5 Nagatomo 6 Uchida 7 Endo 8 Matsui 9 Okazaki 10 S. Nakamura 11 Tamada 12 Yano 13 Iwamasa 14 K. Nakamura 15 Konno 16 Ōkubo 17 Hasebe 18 Honda 19 Morimoto 20 Inamoto 21 Kawashima 22 Nakazawa 23 Kawaguchi (c) Coach: Okada v t e Japan squad – 2011 AFC Asian Cup Champions (4th Title) 1 Kawashima 2 Inoha 3 Iwamasa 4 Konno 5 Nagatomo 6 Uchida 7 Endō 8 Matsui 9 Okazaki 10 Kagawa 11 Maeda 12 Moriwaki 13 Hosogai 14 Fujimoto 15 T. Honda 16 Kashiwagi 17 Hasebe (c) 18 K. Honda 19 Lee 20 Nagata 21 Nishikawa 22 Yoshida 23 Gonda Coach: Zaccheroni