Masahiro Fukuda
Encyclopedia
is a former Japanese
football player. He was a forward but sometimes played in the midfield.
, he joined Mitsubishi Motors
in 1989 and started to play for their football club that played in the Japan Soccer League
Division 2. In his rookie season, he scored 36 goals and helped the club to gain the promotion to Division 1.
When Japan's first-ever professional league J. League
started in early 90's, Mitsubishi was transformed to Urawa Red Diamonds
. He turned professional and continued to play for the club. He scored his first J. League goal on June 9, 1993 against Kashima Antlers
at Kashima Soccer Stadium. All the Urawa players except the goalkeeper flocked around Fukuda to celebrate the goal. While the celebration was prolonged, the referee signalled the restart and Kashima's Hisashi Kurosaki equalised immediately.
In the 1995 season, Fukuda scored 32 goals that makes him the League's top scorer and a member of the J-League Team of the Year.
Urawa was fighting the relegation battle in the 1998 season. In order to stay up, Urawa needed to win the last match in the normal 90 minutes. J. League employed extra time with the golden goal
rule even for a league match at that time, and 2 points were awarded for an extra win while a regulation win earned 3 points. Urawa failed to win in the 90 minutes and the players fielded for the extra time knowing that they had already been relegated. Fukuda scored the golden goal, which fans now remember as the "saddest golden goal in the world."
He retired from the game after the 2002 season. He played his senior club football with one club. He was the symbolic player of Urawa Red Diamonds and the fans refer to him as Mr. Reds. At the beginning of 2003, the testimonial match
for Fukuda was held at Saitama Stadium where more than 50,000 supporters attended to bid farewell.
between 1990 and 1995. His first international appearance came on July 27, 1990 in a Dynasty Cup match against Korea Republic
in Beijing
. He scored his first goal for his country on August 24, 1992 in another Dynasty Cup match against China
in Beijing
.
He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
and he played 4 games and scored 1 goal in the semi-final against China
.
Under national coach Hans Ooft
, Japan reached the AFC
final qualifying stage for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
. He was on the pitch, after replacing Kenta Hasegawa
in the 59th minute, when Japan's hope to play in the finals in the U.S.A. was dashed by an injury-time Iraqi equaliser in the last qualifier, the match that the Japanese fans now refer to as the Agony of Doha
.
|1989/90||rowspan="3"|Mitsubishi Motors
||JSL Division 2
||26||36||0||0||1||0||27||36
|-
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|JSL Division 1
||18||7||2||0||0||0||20||7
|-
|1991/92||15||7||3||2||0||0||18||9
|-
|1992||rowspan="11"|Urawa Red Diamonds
||rowspan="8"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||4||2||9||4||13||6
|-
|1993
||27||4||2||3||0||0||29||7
|-
|1994
||25||6||3||2||0||0||28||8
|-
|1995
||50||32||3||2||colspan="2"|-||53||34
|-
|1996
||4||3||0||0||7||4||11||7
|-
|1997
||29||21||0||0||8||4||37||25
|-
|1998
||17||7||3||4||0||0||20||11
|-
|1999||23||13||2||1||4||0||29||14
|-
|2000
||J. League 2
||12||2||0||0||0||0||12||2
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||14||2||4||0||3||0||21||2
|-
|2002||27||3||1||0||9||1||37||4
287||143||27||16||41||13||355||172
287||143||27||16||41||13||355||172
|}
|1990||5||0
|-
|1991||2||0
|-
|1992||8||3
|-
|1993||15||3
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||15||3
|-
!Total||45||9
|}
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
football player. He was a forward but sometimes played in the midfield.
Club
After studying at and playing for Sagami Institute of Technology High School and Chuo UniversityChuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
, he joined Mitsubishi Motors
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
in 1989 and started to play for their football club that played in the Japan Soccer League
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
Division 2. In his rookie season, he scored 36 goals and helped the club to gain the promotion to Division 1.
When Japan's first-ever professional league J. League
J. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
started in early 90's, Mitsubishi was transformed to Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
. He turned professional and continued to play for the club. He scored his first J. League goal on June 9, 1993 against Kashima Antlers
Kashima Antlers
are a Japanese professional association football club playing in the J. League Division 1. Antlers is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island"....
at Kashima Soccer Stadium. All the Urawa players except the goalkeeper flocked around Fukuda to celebrate the goal. While the celebration was prolonged, the referee signalled the restart and Kashima's Hisashi Kurosaki equalised immediately.
In the 1995 season, Fukuda scored 32 goals that makes him the League's top scorer and a member of the J-League Team of the Year.
Urawa was fighting the relegation battle in the 1998 season. In order to stay up, Urawa needed to win the last match in the normal 90 minutes. J. League employed extra time with the golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
rule even for a league match at that time, and 2 points were awarded for an extra win while a regulation win earned 3 points. Urawa failed to win in the 90 minutes and the players fielded for the extra time knowing that they had already been relegated. Fukuda scored the golden goal, which fans now remember as the "saddest golden goal in the world."
He retired from the game after the 2002 season. He played his senior club football with one club. He was the symbolic player of Urawa Red Diamonds and the fans refer to him as Mr. Reds. At the beginning of 2003, the testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
for Fukuda was held at Saitama Stadium where more than 50,000 supporters attended to bid farewell.
International
He was capped 45 times and scored 9 goals for the Japanese national teamJapan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
between 1990 and 1995. His first international appearance came on July 27, 1990 in a Dynasty Cup match against Korea Republic
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He scored his first goal for his country on August 24, 1992 in another Dynasty Cup match against China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
1992 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 1992 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan between October 29 and November 8. The host nation, Japan, defeated the defending champion Saudi Arabia in the final in Hiroshima.-Stadiums:...
and he played 4 games and scored 1 goal in the semi-final against China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
.
Under national coach Hans Ooft
Hans Ooft
Marius Johan Ooft is a Dutch football manager who is the first foreigner to coach Japan national football team. Under Ooft, Japan won AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 1992.-Honors:*AFC Asian Cup Champions - 1992*J. League Cup Champions - 2003...
, Japan reached the AFC
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
final qualifying stage for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. He was on the pitch, after replacing Kenta Hasegawa
Kenta Hasegawa
is a former Japanese international football player. He was a right-footed forward. He managed J. League Division 1 side Shimizu S-Pulse for 6 seasons between 2005 and 2010.-Club:...
in the 59th minute, when Japan's hope to play in the finals in the U.S.A. was dashed by an injury-time Iraqi equaliser in the last qualifier, the match that the Japanese fans now refer to as the Agony of Doha
Agony of Doha
The Agony of Doha is a term used by fans of the Japanese national football team to refer to the qualification match for their 1994 FIFA World Cup match with Iraq, held in Doha, Qatar on October 28, 1993....
.
After retirement
He works as a football commentator and columnist for various programs and magazines. He also acquired the S-Class Coaching license that was a prerequisite to manage a J. League club in 2007. He has been an assistant coach at Urawa since 2008.Individual honors
- J. League Top ScorerJ. League Top ScorerThe J. League Top Scorer is awarded by the J.League to the top scoring player of the season.-Wins By Club:-See also:*Japanese football champions, for Japan Soccer League predecessors....
: 1995 - J. League Best Eleven: 1995
- AFCAsian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
Player of the Month: 1995 - Urawa Red DiamondsUrawa Red Diamondsare a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
Top Scorer: 152
Career statistics
|-|1989/90||rowspan="3"|Mitsubishi Motors
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
||JSL Division 2
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
||26||36||0||0||1||0||27||36
|-
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|JSL Division 1
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
||18||7||2||0||0||0||20||7
|-
|1991/92||15||7||3||2||0||0||18||9
|-
|1992||rowspan="11"|Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
||rowspan="8"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||4||2||9||4||13||6
|-
|1993
J. League 1993
The J. League 1993 season was the inaugural season of the J. League Division 1. The league fixtures began on May 15, 1993 and ended on December 15, 1993. The first ever Suntory Championship took place in the following year, January 9 and January 16, 1994....
||27||4||2||3||0||0||29||7
|-
|1994
J. League 1994
The J. League 1994 season is the second season of the J. League Division 1. The league fixture began on March 12, 1994 and ended on November 19, 1994. The Suntory Championship '94 took place on November 26 and December 2, 1994.-Honours:...
||25||6||3||2||0||0||28||8
|-
|1995
J. League 1995
The J. League 1995 season is the third season of the J. League Division 1. The league fixture began on March 18, 1995 and ended on November , 1995. The Suntory Championship '95 took place on November 30 and December 6, 1995.-Honours:...
||50||32||3||2||colspan="2"|-||53||34
|-
|1996
J. League 1996
The 1996 J. League season was the fourth season since the establishment of the J. League Division 1. The season began on March 16, 1996 and ended on November 9, 1996.- Clubs :The following sixteen clubs participated in J. League during the 1996 season...
||4||3||0||0||7||4||11||7
|-
|1997
J. League 1997
-First stage:-Second stage:- Suntory Championship :----- Golden Boots Ranking :-Individual Awards:-Best Eleven:...
||29||21||0||0||8||4||37||25
|-
|1998
J. League 1998
Statistics of J. League in the 1998 season.-First stage:-Second stage:- Suntory Championship :-----Relegation playoffs:On the aggregate table, JEF United Ichihara, Avispa Fukuoka, and Vissel Kobe had earned within the 15th-18th places in the tables for both 1997 and 1998, while Consadole Sapporo...
||17||7||3||4||0||0||20||11
|-
|1999||23||13||2||1||4||0||29||14
|-
|2000
2000 J. League Division 2
-Final table:...
||J. League 2
J. League Division 2
The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...
||12||2||0||0||0||0||12||2
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||14||2||4||0||3||0||21||2
|-
|2002||27||3||1||0||9||1||37||4
287||143||27||16||41||13||355||172
287||143||27||16||41||13||355||172
|}
National team statistics
|-|1990||5||0
|-
|1991||2||0
|-
|1992||8||3
|-
|1993||15||3
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||15||3
|-
!Total||45||9
|}