is a Japanese footballer for

FC Maruyasu Okazaki , playing as , is a Japanese professional football team based in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture. They currently play in Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, pos ...

Club career

Gamba Osaka

Hirai was born in

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, ...

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ...

region, and began his career playing for his local club Kamihachiman SC before moving to a higher level joining Premiere SC in 2000. At the age of 15, he was invited to attend

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to ...

youth academy. After spending three years there, Hirai signed his first professional contract with Gamba on 6 December 2005. He was, along with fellow player Michihiro Yasuda, promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 34 shirt. He made his professional debut on 9 December 2006 in the

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, ...

4th round match against

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the co ...

. The following season, Hirai took over the number 14 shirt, previously worn by

Akihiro Ienaga is a Japanese football player who plays for Kawasaki Frontale. He played for Japan national team. Club career Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Ienaga began his career as a trainee with Gamba Osaka, one of the leading clubs in Japan's J1 League. He ...

. In the 2008 season, Hirai playing time increased significantly as he appeared in 8 league matches. He made his J. League debut on 27 April 2008 against

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home mat ...

coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute. After making a few substitute appearances, he made his first league start on 26 July 2008 in a 1–0 defaut

Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club currently playing in J2 League, having been relegated after the 2021 season after a three-year stint in J1 League. The club's home town is Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Saiki, and the entire Ōi ...

playing 45 minutes. Hirai scored his first professional goal on 2 July 2008 in a

J. League Cup The is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or (Levain is one of YBC ...

match against

Yokohama F. Marinos is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club competes in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Having won the J-League title four times an ...

, which proved to be the winner as Gamba won the match 1–0. During the season, he signed new five-year contract. Hirai had arguably one of the best seasons of his career in the 2010 season. He appeared in 31 total matches scoring a career-high 20 goals. On 23 March 2010, Hirai scored first career hat-trick against

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

in the

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

. He was later named

Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

for this performance, which led to a 4–2 victory.

Albirex Niigata

On 12 January 2012 it was announced that Hirai would be joining

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. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the fi ...

on loan for the 2012 season.

International career

On 16 March 2007, Hirai received his first call-up to the Japan U-20 squad, and won his first U20 cap as a substitute against

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

on 25 March.

Team honors

–

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

–

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

– 2007

Club career stats

''Updated to 23 February 2020''.

References

External links

* * * *
Profile at Giravanz Kitakyushu

Profile at Avispa Fukuoka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirai, Shoki 1987 births Living people Association football people from Tokushima Prefecture Japanese footballers J1 League players J2 League players J3 League players Japan Football League players Gamba Osaka players Albirex Niigata players Avispa Fukuoka players Giravanz Kitakyushu players FC Maruyasu Okazaki players Association football forwards