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. He played for
Japan national team.
Club career
Sakai was born in
Misato on 29 June 1979. He joined
JEF United Ichihara from youth team in 1997. He played many matches as defensive midfielder from first season. He moved to
Nagoya Grampus Eight
; formerly known as is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, and have for all but one season since the inauguration of the league, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017.
Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture an ...
in 2001. He also played as right midfielder not only defensive midfielder. His opportunity to play decreased from the middle of 2003. He moved to
Urawa Reds in 2004. Although he did not have much opportunity to play, the club won the 2nd place in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and
2005 J1 League and the champions
2005 Emperor's Cup. He moved to
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. They are currently the J1 League champions. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stad ...
in July 2007 and
Fujieda MYFC
are a Japanese professional football club based in Fujieda, Shizuoka. They currently play in J2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football. It was previously funded by online subscribers and was the first of its kind in Japan.
Th ...
in 2009. From 2010, he moved to Indonesia and played for
Pelita Jaya,
Persiwa Wamena,
Persiram Raja Ampat and
Deltras Sidoarjo. He retired in 2013.
National team career
In August 1995, Sakai was selected
Japan U-17 national team for
1995 U-17 World Championship. He played full-time in all 3 matches. In April 1999, he was also selected
Japan U-20 national team for
1999 World Youth Championship. He played full-time in all 7 matches as right midfielder and Japan won the 2nd place.
In September 2000, Sakai was selected
Japan U-23 national team for
2000 Summer 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 ...
who carried high hopes of the nation because Sakai's teammates included such household names as
Hidetoshi Nakata,
Shunsuke Nakamura and
Naohiro Takahara
is a Japanese Association football, football manager and former Football player, footballer. He also played for Japan national football team, Japan's national football team. Currently, he is working as president for Okinawa SV.
Club career
Tak ...
. Sakai played all 4 matches. However, in the team's quarterfinal match, Sakai committed a foul inside his own box at the 90th minute, conceding the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Japan's opponents, a crucial penalty to make it 2-2.
The United States went on to win the penalty shootouts after 120 minutes of play could not separate the two teams.
[
On 20 December 2000, Sakai debuted for Japan national team 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 ...
.[Japan National Football Team Database](_blank)
/ref>
Club statistics
Honors and awards
Club honors
;Urawa Reds
*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 ...
(1): 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 ...
*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 ...
(2): 2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, 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 ...
Country honors
* FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 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 ...
References
External links
*
*
Japan National Football Team Database
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Tomoyuki
1979 births
Living people
Association football people from Saitama Prefecture
Japanese men's footballers
Japan men's international footballers
Japan men's youth international footballers
21st-century Japanese sportsmen
J1 League players
JEF United Chiba players
Nagoya Grampus players
Urawa Red Diamonds players
Vissel Kobe players
Fujieda MYFC players
Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia
Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia
Liga 1 (Indonesia) players
Madura United F.C. players
Persiwa Wamena players
Persiram Raja Ampat players
Deltras F.C. players
Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for Japan
Japanese expatriate men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders