is a Japanese former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He started his senior career with

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 ...

side Urawa Reds before moving Dutch side

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

in 2001 where he won the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

in 2002. He returned to Urawa Reds in 2006 where he won the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

J League title in his first season back at the club and the

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

AFC Champions League in his second season. He moved to Bundesliga side Bochum in January 2008 but made limited appearances due to injuries. He signed for

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 January 2010. He subsequently played for Western Sydney Wanderers, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Ryukyu before retiring in 2023. He earned 56 caps for the Japan national team. He was part of the squads for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

Career

Urawa Reds

Ono grew up in the

Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...

and began his professional career with Urawa Reds in the

in 1998. The same year, he became the youngest Japanese player to play at 1998 World Cup, at age 18. He caught the attention of foreign clubs with his performance at the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria, where he captained the Japanese Under-20 side that reached the final. But later that year, he suffered a severe knee injury in a qualification match for the

2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

with Japan's Under-23 side, forcing him to miss the rest of the season and Olympic qualifying.

Feyenoord

After a strong performance at the 2001 Confederations Cup, Ono moved to

of the Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

in 2001. In his first season, he helped Feyenoord win the 2002

, making him the first Japanese in history to win a European trophy. However, a string of injuries kept him sidelined for long periods. After he missed the majority of 2004–05, the club sold him. His stint at the

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

based club is highly rated and Dutch midfielder

Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Noted for his playmaking ability, he was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Sneijder started ...

said "Shinji Ono is the toughest opponent I've ever faced".

Urawa Reds return

On 13 January 2006, Ono returned to the J1 League, signing a three-year deal with his former club Urawa Reds.

Bochum

In the 2008 January transfer window, Ono returned to Europe, signing with

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

. On 3 February 2008, Ono made his Bundesliga debut in an away game against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

, and he had two assists that helped Bochum with their first ever win over Bremen at Weserstadion. Ono suffered injuries in the following two years in Bochum, and could only play 34 matches in which he gave four assists for the club. In the winter break of 2009–10, Ono requested a return to Japan for personal reasons. Different Japanese clubs were interested in the midfielder. Bochum allowed him to leave under the condition that they could find a successor.

Shimizu S-Pulse

On 9 January 2010, Ono returned to his native

by signing for

. The transfer fee were rumored to be €300,000 for the midfielder whose contract in Bochum expired in the summer of 2010. In an interview he declared that the main reason for his transfer was his wish to reunite with his wife and children, who were still living in Japan.

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 28 September 2012, it was announced that Shinji Ono had signed with new

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

club Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-year deal as the club's marquee player. The Wanderers were offered former German international

Michael Ballack Michael Ballack (; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional footballer. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of ...

but preferred to sign Ono. He made his debut for the Wanderers on 6 October, in a scoreless draw against

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

, in the first game of the season. Ono scored his first goal for the club with a penalty in round 10 against Brisbane Roar. Ono scored two stunning goals to help the Wanderers beat Melbourne Victory 2–1 in round 14 on 1 January 2013. On 16 January 2014, the club announced that Ono would return to Japan at the end of the A-League season. Ono will link up with

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

Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club based in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. They will play in the 2025 J2 League, the second tier league of Japanese football, after relegation from the J1 League at conclusion of th ...

to play out the remainder of the season in Japan as the club chases promotion to the J1 League. On 4 May 2014, Ono played his last A-League game for the Wanderers, in a 2–1 Grand Final loss to Brisbane Roar, in what was to be the Wanderers' second successive Grand Final defeat.

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

Following the expiration of his contract and his desire to see his family, Ono joined

(later ''Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo'') in May 2014.

FC Ryukyu

On 5 August 2019, Ono signed with

club FC Ryukyu. In December 2020, he left Ryuku after failing to reach a contract extension agreement.

Return to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

On 1 January 2021, it was announced that he would return to his former club, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, as a permanent transfer. His uniform number is 44, the same as when he belonged to Sapporo last time. On 9 June of the same year, in the second round of the Emperor's Cup at Sony Sendai, he scored his first goal in an official match in four years with a direct free kick. This goal made him the oldest player to score in the Emperor's Cup (41 years and 255 days old). On 28 January 2022, it was announced that he had signed a lifetime contract with Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Ono commented, "I consider Hokkaido to be my second home. I don't know how I will end my active career, but I hope to continue to give back to the club by sharing my experiences". In addition, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo representative director and GM Daikatsu Mikami expressed his intention to prioritize Ono's wishes, saying, "I will let him decide whether he wants to be a coach or join the front desk". On 27 September 2023, the day he celebrated his 44th birthday, which is the same as his jersey number, he posted on his Instagram a message posted on the Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo official website: "I have a report to share with you all. 39th anniversary of my first encounter with soccer. My feet, which have been my companions for many years, are telling me it's time to give them a rest, so I've decided to end my career as a professional soccer player at the end of this season. There are still a few games left in the season. However, I will continue to prepare as well as possible so that I can be involved in the game as much as possible. I ask for your support until the end". Shinji Ono announced that he will retire as an active player after the 2023 season. On 3 December 2023, at the 2023 J1 league season final round, Ono played his last professional game against Urawa. He said goodbye to his colleague and every fan.

International career

When fit, Ono was an ever-present member of the Japan national team. He made his full international debut on 1 April 1998 against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in a friendly. After his appearance in the 1998 World Cup, he was a key member of the Japanese squad in the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. He has represented Japan at every age level starting with the U-16 team, and was one of three overage selections at the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens. Injuries limited Ono to just one appearance in the final round of the

qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

and missed the Confederations Cup in 2003 and 2005. He played in his third World Cup finals in Germany.

Style of play

Known as ''Tensai'' (天才,

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

for ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

''), Ono is one of the biggest stars in Asian football, known for his vision, technique and superb passing. Although his primary position is

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, he can play anywhere in the midfield, including defensive midfield and either

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ono goal.''

Honours

Feyenoord *

: 2001–02 *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

: Runner-up 2002–03 Urawa Red Diamonds * J.League Division 1:

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or Japan FA Cup, and rebranded as The JFA Emperor's Cup from 2024 onwards, is a Japanese annual football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formatio ...

Japanese Super Cup The , the for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-match association football competition in Japan organised by J.League and the Japan Football Association. This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the reigning J1 Leag ...

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

Western Sydney Wanderers *

Premiership: 2012–13 *A-League Finals: Runner-up 2012–13 Japan * AFC U-16 Championship:

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

Individual * AFC Youth Championship Most Valuable Player:

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

Asian Young Footballer of the Year The Asian Young Footballer of the Year award, officially known as the AFC Youth Player of the Year award, is presented to the best young football player in Asia. It has been awarded by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 1995. It is usually ...

: 1998 * J.League Rookie of the Year: 1998 * J.League Best Eleven: 1998 * FIFA World Youth Championship Best Eleven:

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

* Asian Footballer of the Year: 2002 * J.League 30th Anniversary Team

References

External links

* *
Japan National Football Team Database
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ono, Shinji 1979 births Living people Association football people from Shizuoka Prefecture Japanese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Urawa Red Diamonds players Feyenoord players VfL Bochum players Shimizu S-Pulse players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo players FC Ryukyu players J1 League players J2 League players Eredivisie players Bundesliga players Marquee players (A-League Men) A-League Men players UEFA Europa League–winning players Japan men's youth international footballers 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Asian Games footballers for Japan Olympic footballers for Japan Japan men's international footballers Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games 1998 FIFA World Cup players 2000 AFC Asian Cup players 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics 2006 FIFA World Cup players AFC Champions League Elite–winning players AFC Asian Cup–winning players Asian Footballer of the Year winners Asian Young Footballer of the Year winners Japanese expatriate men's footballers Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia