is a former

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

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 and manager.

Playing career

Naruo was born in

Iwaizumi, Iwate is a Towns of Japan, town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 8,006, and a population density of 8.1 persons per km² in 4123 households. The total area of the town is . History The area of present-day Iwaizumi w ...

on October 5, 1974. After graduating from

Iwate University Iwate University (, ''Iwate Daigaku'', abbreviated as ''Gandai'' or ''岩大'') is a national university located in Morioka, Japan. Founded in 1876 as the , the school was formally established as Iwate University in 1949. With its main campus loc ...

, he joined

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 ...

(JFL) club

Montedio Yamagata is a Japanese people, Japanese professional association football club based in Tendo, Yamagata. The club currently playing in J2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football. Name origin Montedio is a coined word combining the I ...

in 1997. He played many matches as forward. In 1998, he moved to JFL club Sony Sendai. He became a regular player and scored 13 goals. In 1999, he moved to newly was promoted to

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,

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...

. He played as central player in the club in 2 seasons. In 2001, he moved to

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

club

Júbilo Iwata is a Japanese professional association football, football team based in Iwata, Shizuoka, Iwata, located in Shizuoka Prefecture. The club competes in J2 League following relegation from J1 League in 2024 J1 League, 2024. Etymology The team's ...

. However he could not play at all in the match. In June 2002, he moved to

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...

. However he could hardly play in the match and the club was relegated to J2 from 2003. In 2003, he moved to J2 club

Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional Association football, football club based in Tosu, Saga, Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football, since 2025 following relegation from the J1 League in 2024 J1 Leag ...

. He played as regular player in 2003. However his opportunity to play decreased in 2004 and he retired end of 2004 season.

Coaching career

Naruo first coached

Albirex Niigata Singapore , simply known as Albirex Niigata (S), is a football club based in Jurong East, Singapore, which plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan. Mostly the team is made up of university students fr ...

in S.League in 2009, ending the season in seventh position. He then went back to Japan to coach

Grulla Morioka is a Japanese association football club based in Morioka, capital of Iwate Prefecture. They play in Japan Football League from 2025, the Japanese fourth tier of semi-professional football after relegation from J3 League in 2024. Name origin ...

based in his local for five years, leading the club to ascend from semi-professional Regional Leagues to a

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 ...

team. Naruo rejoined Albirex Niigata Singapore in 2016, replacing Tatsuyuki Okuyama. He led the White Swans to an unprecedented sweep of all four of the league's major trophies. This led to him being named the 2016 S.League Coach of the Year. 2 days after winning the award, Naruo announced that he is leaving the newly crowned champions.

Club statistics

Managerial statistics

J.League Data Site
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References

External links

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1974 births Living people Iwate University alumni Association football people from Iwate Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Japan Football League (1992–1998) players Montedio Yamagata players Sony Sendai FC players Albirex Niigata players Júbilo Iwata players Sanfrecce Hiroshima players Sagan Tosu players Japanese football managers J3 League managers Singapore Premier League managers Iwate Grulla Morioka managers Albirex Niigata Singapore F.C. managers Men's association football forwards 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-footy-forward-1970s-stub