is a former Japanese

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who is currently a coach at

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan under the organization of J.League. The league is known as the for sponsorship reasons. The third-tier nation ...

club

FC Ryukyu is a Japanese professional football club based in Okinawa. The club plays in the J3 League, Japanese third tier of professional football. The team's home stadium is Okinawa Athletic Park Stadium, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The team derive ...

Club career

Shirai was born in Fuji on 17 June 1974. After graduating from high school, he joined his local club

Shimizu S-Pulse is a Japanese professional association football, football club located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. S-Pulse is going to compete in the J1 League for the 2025 Season, after winning promotio ...

in 1993. He moved to

Verdy Kawasaki is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club currently competes in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2023. History Founded as Yomiuri Football Club in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most ...

(1997) and then to

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osak ...

in 1998. He 2000 he joined

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...

club

Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuk ...

and he played there for six seasons. In 2006 he moved to

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Sendai, Miyagi, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Elect ...

. Initially he played as regular player. However, he lost regular position due to injury in June 2006. In 2008 he moved to

Japan Football League The , also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League 100 Year Plan club sta ...

club

. He played only three league matches; this was due to injury. He retired at the end of 2008 season.

National team career

In July 1996, Shirai was selected Japan U-23 national team for

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. At this tournament, he played 2 matches. Although Japan won 2 matches, Japan lost at first round. Japan beat

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in first game, it is known as "Miracle of Miami" ( マイアミの奇跡) in Japan.

Club statistics

References

External links

* * 1974 births Living people Association football people from Shizuoka Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Japan Football League players Shimizu S-Pulse players Tokyo Verdy players Cerezo Osaka players Shonan Bellmare players Vegalta Sendai players FC Ryukyu players Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Japan Men's association football defenders 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-footy-defender-1970s-stub