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.

Playing career

Sakurai was born in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

on June 29, 1979. After graduating from

Komazawa University , abbreviated as 駒大 ''Komadai'', is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young Bhikkhu#Monks in Japan, monks of the Sōtō, Sōtō sect, one of ...

, 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

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 2002. He became a regular goalkeeper in 2003. However he lost his position behind

Kenta Shimizu is a Japanese football player who plays for Kamatamare Sanuki. Playing career Shimizu was born in Matsudo on September 18, 1981. After graduating from high school, he joined J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol based in his local Chiba Prefecture in ...

in 2006. In 2007, 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

Ventforet Kofu is a Japanese professional football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football, hosting their home matches in the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōf ...

. However he could hardly play in the match behind

Kensaku Abe 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'' ge ...

and Tatsuya Tsuruta and Ventforet was relegated to J2 end of 2007 season. In 2008, he became a regular goalkeeper. In 2009, he moved to J2 club

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 ...

. Although Vegalta was promoted to J1 end of 2010 season, he could hardly play in the match behind Takuto Hayashi and

Kentaro Seki is a Japanese football player for Renofa Yamaguchi is a Japanese professional football club based in Yamaguchi, the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture. They currently play in the J2 League, the second tier of professional football in Japan' ...

until 2014. In 2015, he moved to J2 club

Tochigi SC , commonly referred to as Tochigi SC (栃木SC, ''Tochigi Esushi'') is a Japanese football club based in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. They set to play in the J3 League after relegation from J2 in 2024, Japan's third tier of profession ...

.Vegalta Sendai
/ref> He played many matches while battling with

Akihiko Takeshige is a Japanese football player who currently plays for SC Sagamihara commonly known as SC Sagamihara (SC相模原, ''Esu Shī Sagamihara'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. They currently pl ...

for the position. However Tochigi finished at the bottom place in 2015 season and was relegated to

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 ...

. He retired end of 2015 season.

Club statistics

References

External links

* * 1979 births Living people Komazawa University alumni Association football people from Ibaraki Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Montedio Yamagata players Ventforet Kofu players Vegalta Sendai players Tochigi SC players Men's association football goalkeepers {{Japan-footy-goalkeeper-stub