Daisuke Matsui (松井 大輔, Matsui Daisuke, born 11 May 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[1] He previously played for the Japan national team. His wife is Japanese actress Rosa Kato.

Daisuke Matsui
松井 大輔
Matsui in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1981-05-11) 11 May 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1997–1999 Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2004 Kyoto Purple Sanga 126 (16)
2004–2008 Le Mans 119 (15)
2008–2009 Saint-Étienne 22 (1)
2009–2011 Grenoble 45 (5)
2010Tom Tomsk (loan) 7 (0)
2011–2012 Dijon 3 (0)
2012–2013 Slavia Sofia 11 (0)
2013 Lechia Gdańsk 16 (4)
2014–2017 Júbilo Iwata 85 (9)
2017 Odra Opole 4 (0)
2018–2020 Yokohama FC 36 (2)
2021 Saigon FC 7 (0)
2022–2023 YSCC Yokohama 26 (3)
Total 458 (51)
International career
2002–2004 Japan U23 25 (2)
2003–2011 Japan 31 (1)
Medal record
Kyoto Purple Sanga
Winner Emperor's Cup 2002
Representing  Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Qatar
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2002 Busan Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early years

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In 2000, Matsui graduated from Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School (鹿児島実業高校) and began his professional career with Kyoto Purple Sanga of the J1 League.

Kyoto Purple Sanga

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After his J1 League rookie season Purple Sanga were relegated to J2 League. However, the following season Matsui played a prominent role in helping his club finish first in J2, earning the club a promotion back to J1. In 2002 the club continued their success by having a strong season, finishing sixth in the league and winning the Emperor's Cup. The club's success and Matsui's increased exposure lead to Matsui being called up to the national team for the first time in 2003. However, his club was again relegated to J2 after the 2003 season, and could not earn a return to Division 1 after the 2004 season.

Le Mans

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In 2004, after four and a half seasons in Kyoto, Matsui signed with Le Mans of Ligue 2 in France. Matsui chose Le Mans, then a second division club, over Lazio, one of the top clubs in Serie A, because he believed that the style of Italian football was too defensive.[2]

In Japan, Matsui had been criticized for his small physique and mental weakness, but he adapted to the fast, physical style of French football by changing his style and holding on to the ball less. In his first season with Le Mans, he helped the club earn a runners-up finish in Ligue 2 and a promotion to Ligue 1. In 2005–06, in Matsui's first season playing in Ligue 1, Le Mans began undefeated in its first six matches of the season and finished 11th place in the league. Matsui was voted as the Player of the Month for January 2006.[3]

Jean-Sébastien Grond of Football.fr has dubbed Matsui "the sun of Le Mans" (le soleil du Mans), while many Le Mans supporters and the media consider him the top player for the club.[4][5]

In the 2006–07 season, Matsui appeared in 27 games and Le Mans finished 12th place in Ligue 1.

During the 2007–08 season, Matsui expressed desire to transfer to a new club at the end of the season, when his contract with Le Mans was set to expire.[3] Among the teams which were believed to have shown interested in signing him at the time were Catania, Genoa, Lazio and Torino of Serie A, Celtic and Rangers of the Scottish Premier League, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga, and Lille of Ligue 1.[6][7][8][9]

Saint-Étienne

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At the conclusion of the season 2007–08 season, after having played for Le Mans for four consecutive years, Matsui announced his transfer to Saint-Étienne of Ligue 1 on a three-year signing.[10]

In the beginning of the 2008–09 season Matsui was seeing very limited playing time, which was believed to have been due to his poor form combined with a rift with the manager, Laurent Roussey. However, on 10 November 2008 Roussey was released by Saint-Étienne due to the club's poor performance.[11] At the time of Roussey's release the club had lost five consecutive matches and sat in 18th place in the 20-team league, with a record of three wins, nine losses and a draw. During the club's poor slide, Saint-Étienne co-president Roland Romeyer criticized several players including Matsui, whom Romeyer had questioned if he was a body-double for the 'real' Japanese star Sainté had brought in from Le Mans in the summer.[12]

On 11 November 2008, Saint-Étienne announced that Alain Perrin was appointed as the club's new manager.[13] Perrin had led Olympique Lyonnais to the domestic double in the previous season by winning the Ligue 1 title and the French Cup.

In 2009, Matsui again moved to a new club in the Ligue 1, this time to Grenoble.[14]

Grenoble

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Matsui still showed his qualities by scoring four league goals in the campaign; one versus Lorient on 28 November 2009,[15] two goals against Auxerre on 6 February 2010[16] and one versus Sochaux on 17 April 2010.[17] However the season with Grenoble was reflected poorly as the team finished bottom of Ligue 1 and was relegated.[18]

Tom Tomsk

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During the summer transfer window in the Russian Premier League, Matsui moved to Siberian club FC Tom Tomsk on loan until the end of the Russian Championship of 2010.[19] He played his first match for his new team on 11 September against Zenit Saint Petersburg and was substituted.

Dijon

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On 5 July 2011, Matsui signed a two-year contract with the club in Dijon, a new entrant in France's Ligue 1.

Slavia Sofia

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On 11 September 2012, Matsui joined Bulgarian A PFG club Slavia Sofia.[20][21] He made his debut in a 2–0 home win over Lokomotiv Sofia on 23 September, coming on as a half-time substitute for Pavle Popara.

Lechia Gdańsk

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On 3 July 2013, it was announced by Lechia Gdańsk that he had signed a contract for one year with an option of extension.[22] On 22 July in his debut he scored goals in a 2–2 draw against Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała.

Júbilo Iwata

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In 2014, Matsui returned to Japan and signed with J2 League club Júbilo Iwata.[23] Júbilo achieved second place in 2015 season and was promoted to J1 League.

Odra Opole

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On 8 August 2017, Matsui signed for Polish club playing in 2016–17 I liga, Odra Opole, for an undisclosed fee.

Yokohama FC

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In 2018, Matsui returned to Japan and signed with J2 League club Yokohama FC.[24]

International career

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Matsui playing for Japan in 2009

Matsui made his national team debut on 22 June 2003 with Japan at 2003 Confederations Cup against Colombia and scored his international goal against Angola on 11 October 2005.[25] He also played for the U-23 national team at the 2004 Olympics.

Despite his performance at Le Mans, Matsui was not part of Zico's selection for the 2006 World Cup. Former Japan coach Philippe Troussier criticized the decision stating that "Matsui was selected as one of the best foreign players in France and didn't make it into the squad of 23 Zico selected, which is a pity given his form and experience."[26]

Matsui was called up for the first time under Ivica Osim's reign to play in friendlies against Austria and Switzerland in September 2007. Matsui has continued to make national team appearances under Takeshi Okada, who has replaced Osim after Osim suffered a stroke in November 2007. In 2010, Matsu was selected Japan for 2010 World Cup.[27] He played all 4 matches and Japan qualified to the knockout stage. He also played at 2011 Asian Cup. He played 2 matches and Japan won the champions. This Asian Cup was his last game for Japan. He played 31 games and scored 1 goal for Japan until 2011.[25]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of end of 2018 season[28][29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other[a] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kyoto Purple Sanga 2000 22 1 1 0 7 1 30 2
2001 37 7 4 0 2 0 43 7
2002 23 4 5 4 2 0 30 8
2003 27 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 31 2
2004 18 2 0 0 18 2
Total 127 16 11 4 13 1 1 0 152 21
Le Mans 2004–05 25 3 0 0 1 0 26 3
2005–06 33 3 0 0 2 0 35 3
2006–07 27 4 0 0 2 0 29 4
2007–08 34 5 2 0 3 2 39 7
Total 119 15 2 0 8 2 129 17
Saint-Étienne 2008–09 22 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 27 1
Grenoble 2009–10 29 4 2 1 1 0 32 5
2010–11 16 1 0 0 16 1
Total 45 5 2 1 1 0 48 6
Tom Tomsk (loan) 2010 7 0 0 0 7 0
Dijon 2011–12 3 0 0 0 3 0
Slavia Sofia 2012–13 11 0 2 0 13 0
Lechia Gdańsk 2013–14 16 4 2 0 18 4
Júbilo Iwata 2014 36 6 3 0 39 6
2015 26 3 0 0 26 3
2016 16 0 3 0 3 1 22 1
2017 7 0 1 0 3 0 11 0
Total 85 9 7 0 6 1 98 10
Odra Opole 2017–18 3 0 0 0 3 0
Yokohama FC 2018 9 0 2 0 11 0
2019 28 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 2
Total 37 2 2 0 39 2
Career total 476 52 30 5 29 4 3 0 538 61

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Japan U23 2002 6 1
2003 2 0
2004 17 1
Total 25 2
Japan 2003 1 0
2004 0 0
2005 3 1
2006 0 0
2007 2 0
2008 7 0
2009 8 0
2010 8 0
2011 2 0
Total 31 1
Scores and results list Japan U23's and Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Matsui goal.
List of international goals scored by Daisuke Matsui
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
Japan U23 goals
1 1 October 2002 Munsu Cup Stadium, Ulsan, South Korea   Bahrain 3–0 5–2 2002 Asian Games
2 21 February 2004 Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan   South Korea 1–0 2–0 Friendly match (2004 Kirin Challenge Cup)
Japan goals
1 16 November 2005 National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan   Angola 1–0 1–0 Friendly match (2005 Kirin Challenge Cup)

Honours

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Kyoto Purple Sanga

Japan

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Daisuke Matsui at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)  
  2. ^ Gorenflot, Julien (26 October 2005). "Matsui, l'étoile venue d'Asie" (in French). Maxifoot. Retrieved 21 January 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Joueur du mois de Ligue 1" (in French). Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels. January 2006. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
  4. ^ Grond, Jean-Sébastien (13 January 2006). "Matsui, le soleil du Mans" (in French). Football.fr. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
  5. ^ "Little Le Mans thinking big". FIFA.com. 5 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
  6. ^ "Torino step up push for Le Mans star Daisuke Matsui". tribalfootball.com. 25 September 2007. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Catania join interest for Le Mans winger Daisuke Matsui". tribalfootball.com. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2008.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Celtic, Werder Bremen join Bosman battle for Le Mans star Daisuke Matsui". tribalfootball.com. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2008.[dead link]
  9. ^ "Celtic, Rangers chasing Le Mans winger Daisuke Matsui". tribalfootball.com. 9 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Matsui seals st etienne switch". football365.com. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Saint-Etienne fires coach Laurent Roussey". The International Herald Tribune. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  12. ^ "Uefa Cup Preview: Saint-Étienne – Rosenborg". Goal.com. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  13. ^ "Perrin named Saint-Etienne coach". The International Herald Tribune. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  14. ^ "Grenoble sign Matsui". Sky Sports.
  15. ^ "Lorient vs. Grenoble – 28 November 2009". Soccerway. 28 November 2009.
  16. ^ "Grenoble vs. Auxerre – 6 February 2010". Soccerway. 6 February 2010.
  17. ^ "Grenoble vs. Sochaux – 17 April 2010". Soccerway. 17 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Summary – Ligue 1 – France – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. 15 May 2010.
  19. ^ "Matsui joins Tom Tomsk on loan". FIFA. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  20. ^ "Japan's Matsui makes Bulgarian switch". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  21. ^ . Slavia present Daisuke Matsui www.gong.bg.2012-09-12.
  22. ^ "Daisuke Matsui zawodnikiem Lechii" [Daisuke Matsui plays for Lechii] (in Polish). Lechia Gdańsk. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  23. ^ Júbilo Iwata
  24. ^ Yokohama FC
  25. ^ a b Japan National Football Team Database
  26. ^ Taylor, Stephen (17 June 2006). "Troussier positive on Japan's chances". Daily Yomiuri Online. Archived from the original on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
  27. ^ Daisuke MatsuiFIFA competition record (archived)  
  28. ^ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)", 8 February 2017, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411420 (p. 107 out of 289)
  29. ^ J.League
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