Tatsuya Tanaka (soccer player, 1982)

Tatsuya Tanaka
Personnel
birthday	November 27, 1982
place of birth	Shūnan , Yamaguchi ,  Japan
size	167 cm
position	striker
Juniors
Years	station
1998-2000	Teikyo HS
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
2001–2012	Urawa Red Diamonds	233 (56)
2013–	Albirex Niigata	156 (13)
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
2005-2009	Japan	16 0(3)
1 Only league games are given. Status: October 13, 2019

Tatsuya Tanaka ( Japanese 田中 達 也 Tanaka Tatsuya ; born November 27, 1982 in Shūnan , Yamaguchi ) is a Japanese football player .

Career

Originally from Yamaguchi , Tanaka went to the Teikyō High School in Tokyo in 1998 . After he was named the best player in the high school soccer league in his senior year 2000, he began his professional career in the 2001 season with the Urawa Reds . He made his first game on April 29, 2001 against the Kashima Antlers . He scored his first goal on May 12, 2001 against Tokyo Verdy . In the beginning he was mostly the team's joker, who came on as a substitute in the final stages of the game. Because he was able to use this more and more often for goals, he finally played his way into the starting eleven. Urawa's greatest club success in 2003, winning the league cup , also became one of Tanaka's greatest personal successes. In the final , which was played again against arch rivals from Kashima after the lost final in 2002, he prepared the 1-0 and, after having played off almost the entire Kashima defense with a dribble, scored the 3-0 himself. The game ended 4-0 and Urawa had won the first title in club history. Tanaka received the New Hero Award and was also voted MVP .

In the game against Kashiwa Reysol on October 15, 2005 Tanaka suffered a complicated broken foot, which resulted in a long break due to injury. He celebrated his return on July 19, 2006 in the game against Albirex Niigata . Three days later, in the game against Kawasaki Frontale , he scored his first goal on his return.

At the international level, Tanaka has played in various youth national teams since 2002. With the U-23 team he took part in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens . On July 31, 2005 he was against China for the first time in the starting line-up of the senior national team and scored a goal straight away. After his injury, he celebrated his return to the national team in the game against Trinidad and Tobago .

Play style

Tanaka's game lives from its speed. His teammates use this with passes into the open space, but Tanaka is capable of controlled dribbling even at high speeds. Tanaka can also rely on a strong goal instinct, which is so important for a striker, and which has enabled him to score several goals.

Web links

• Tatsuya Tanaka in the J.League Data Site database (Japanese)