Daisuke Sakata

Daisuke Sakata
坂田大輔
Personal information
Full name	Daisuke Sakata
Date of birth	January 16, 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1998	Yokohama Flügels
1999–2000	Yokohama F. Marinos
Senior career*
Years	Team
2001–2010	Yokohama F. Marinos
2011	Aris Thessaloniki
2011	FC Tokyo
2012–2017	Avispa Fukuoka
Total
International career
2003	Japan U-20
2006	Japan
Medal record
Yokohama F. Marinos
FC Tokyo
Representing Japan
AFC U-19 Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Daisuke Sakata (坂田大輔, Sakata Daisuke, born January 16, 1983) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.

Club career

He first played for Yokohama Flügels youth team but became a Yokohama F. Marinos youth player when both teams merged in 1999. He was promoted to the top team in 2001. His first league appearance came on June 16, 2001 in a 0-2 defeat by FC Tokyo at the International Stadium Yokohama. His first league goal came on August 18, 2001 when he scored the lone goal against Kashiwa Reysol at Kashiwanoha Stadium. He became a regular player from 2003. The club won the champions 2003 and 2004 J1 League.

Sakata joined Superleague Greece side Aris Thessaloniki in 2011 after ten years at Yokohama F. Marinos^[1] but only stayed for a short time before returning to FC Tokyo for the 2nd half of the season.

In January 2012 it was announced he had signed for Avispa Fukuoka in J2 League. Avispa won the 3rd place in 2015 J2 League and was promoted to J1 League. However Avispa finished at the bottom place in 2016 J1 League and was relegated to J2 in a year. He opted to retire end of 2017 season.^[2]

National team career

He was a member of the Japan U-20 national team for the 2002 AFC Youth Championship in Qatar. The team finished runners-up and was qualified for the 2003 World Youth Championship.

At the World Youth Championship hosted by United Arab Emirates, he scored 4 goals in the tournament including against South Korea at knockout stage and became one of the top scorers along with Fernando Cavenaghi (Argentine), Dudu (Brazil) and Eddie Johnson (United States). The team exited at the quarter-final stage after beaten by Brazil.

He made his full international debut for Japan on August 9, 2006 in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago at the Tokyo National Stadium when he replaced Alessandro Santos in the 86th minute.^[3]

Personal life

Sakata married actress and TV Tarento Sayaka Fukuoka in February 2009．

Club statistics

^[4]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Japan			League		Emperor's Cup		J.League Cup		AFC		Total
2001	Yokohama F. Marinos	J1 League	11	2	0	0	5	0	-		16	2
2002			19	1	2	1	0	0	-		21	2
2003			25	6	1	0	6	1	-		32	7
2004			28	10	1	1	5	1	4	1	38	13
2005			29	5	2	0	4	1	2	1	37	7
2006			19	4	3	2	2	0	-		24	6
2007			34	10	2	2	9	3	-		45	15
2008			32	1	3	0	7	1	-		42	2
2009			30	6	3	2	10	1	-		43	9
2010			20	1	1	0	4	0	-		25	1
Greece			League		Greek Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2011	Aris Thessaloniki	Superleague	6	0	–		–		–		6	0
Japan			League		Emperor's Cup		J.League Cup		AFC		Total
2011	FC Tokyo	J2 League	10	1	2	0	–		–		12	1
2012	Avispa Fukuoka	J2 League	40	8	1	0	–		–		41	8
2013			40	11	0	0	–		–		40	11
2014			31	5	1	0	–		–		32	5
2015			35	3	3	0	–		–		38	3
2016		J1 League	24	2	0	0	5	0	–		29	2
2017		J2 League	31	1	0	0	–		–		31	1
Total	Japan		458	77	25	8	57	8	6	2	546	95
Total	Greece		6	0	–		–		–		6	0
Career total			464	77	25	8	57	8	6	2	552	95