Atsushi Yanagisawa

Atsushi Yanagisawa

Personal information
Full name	Atsushi Yanagisawa
Date of birth	May 27, 1977
Place of birth	Kosugi, Toyama, Japan
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1993–1995	Toyama Daiichi High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1996–2005	Kashima Antlers	178	(71)
2003–2004	→ Sampdoria (loan)	15	(0)
2004–2005	→ Messina (loan)	22	(0)
2005–2006	Messina	7	(0)
2006–2007	Kashima Antlers	42	(9)
2008–2010	Kyoto Sanga	85	(21)
2011–2014	Vegalta Sendai	54	(6)
Total		415	(108)
National team^‡
1997	Japan U20	5	(4)
1998–2006	Japan	58	(17)
2000	Japan Olympic	4	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 03:27, 3 April 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 January 2011

Atsushi Yanagisawa (柳沢 敦 Yanagisawa Atsushi, born May 27, 1977 in Kosugi, Toyama) is a retired Japanese football player who played as a striker. He is best known for playing the majority of his career at Kashima Antlers as well as spells with Italian side Sampdoria and Messina.

Yanagisawa earned 58 caps for the Japan national team, and represented them at two World Cups, the 2000 Olympics and the 2000 Asian Cup.^[1]

Yanagisawa was widely berated in Japan for wasting Japan's best opportunity in a match with Croatia in the World Cup first round in 2006,^[2] with his post-game explanation: "The ball came at me so quickly" (in Japanese "kyu ni bohru ga kita no de") earning its own abbreviation: "QBK," used as a byword for a lame excuse.

He married Yukari Obata, a Japanese fashion model, in December 2003.^[3]

Honors and awards

Individual

• J. League Rookie of the Year: 1997
• J. League Best Eleven: 1998, 2001, 2008
• Japanese Footballer of the Year: 2001

Team

• AFC Asian Cup: 2000
• J. League Division 1: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001

Career statistics

The following table is up to date as of 23 June 2006.

National team Year Apps Goals Japan 1998 2 0 1999 4 0 2000 10 4 2001 6 5 2002 9 0 2003 5 2 2004 8 2 2005 10 4 2006 4 0 Total 58 17

International goals # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. June 6, 2000 Rabat, Morocco  Jamaica 4-0 Won Hassan II International Cup 2. June 18, 2000 Yokohama, Japan  Bolivia 2-0 Won Kirin Cup 2000 3. June 18, 2000 Yokohama, Japan  Bolivia 2-0 Won Kirin Cup 2000 4. October 14, 2000 Sidon, Lebanon  Saudi Arabia 4-1 Won Asian Cup 2000 5. August 15, 2001 Fukuroi, Shizuoka, Japan  Australia 3-0 Won Friendly 6. July 1, 2001 Sapporo, Japan  Paraguay 2-0 Won Kirin Cup 2001 7. July 1, 2001 Sapporo, Japan  Paraguay 2-0 Won Kirin Cup 2001 8. October 7, 2001 Southampton, England  Nigeria 2-2 Draw Friendly 9. November 7, 2001 Saitama, Japan  Italy 1-1 Draw Friendly 10. October 8, 2003 Tunis, Tunisia  Tunisia 1-0 Won Friendly 11. October 11, 2003 Bucharest, Romania  Romania 1-1 Draw Friendly 12. February 12, 2004 Fukuroi, Shizuoka, Japan  Iraq 2-0 Won Friendly 13. July 9, 2004 Ōita, Japan  Slovakia 3-1 Won Kirin Cup 2004 14. June 8, 2005 Bangkok, Thailand  North Korea 2-0 Won WC 2006 Qual 15. June 16, 2005 Hanover, Germany  Mexico 1-2 Lost Confederations Cup 2005 16. September 7, 2005 Rifu, Miyagi, Japan  Honduras 5-4 Won Friendly 17. September 7, 2005 Rifu, Miyagi, Japan  Honduras 5-4 Won Friendly

References

1. Atsushi Yanagisawa – FIFA competition record
2. "Japan, Croatia match ends in goalless draw". dna. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
3. "Model Yukari Obata gives birth". Sankei Sports (Tokyograph). May 5, 2010.

External links

• Atsushi Yanagisawa at National-Football-Teams.com
• Atsushi Yanagisawa at footballdatabase.eu