Shu Kurata

Shu Kurata (倉田 秋, Kurata Shū, born November 26, 1988) is a Japanese international football player currently playing for Gamba Osaka in the J1 League. His regular playing position is attacking midfielder.[1][2]

Shu Kurata
倉田 秋
Personal information
Full name Shu Kurata
Date of birth (1988-11-26) 26 November 1988
Place of birth Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Gamba Osaka
Number 10
Youth career
2001–2006 Gamba Osaka Youth
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007– Gamba Osaka 240 (40)
2010 → JEF United Chiba (loan) 29 (8)
2011 → Cerezo Osaka (loan) 33 (10)
National team‡
2015–2017 Japan 9 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 December 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 December 2017

Club career

A native of Osaka, Kurata came up through the youth team ranks at Gamba Osaka and made his way into the first-team squad ahead of the 2007 season. Owing to his tender years, he played just 6 league matches in his debut season as a professional, but the following year he went on to make 21 appearances in all competitions as Gamba lifted the 2008 AFC Champions League and the 2008 Emperor's Cup. The Osaka giants retained their Emperor's Cup title in 2009, however Kurata only featured 4 times throughout the year as he struggled to break into their star-studded starting line-up.

To gain more first-team experience he was sent out on loan, first to J2 League side JEF United in 2010 and then to city rivals Cerezo Osaka in 2011. He netted an impressive 10 goals in 33 league games with Cerezo and this form was enough to earn him a recall to Gamba's first-team in 2012. His first season back in north Osaka saw Gamba finish 17th in J1 League which sent them down to Japan's second tier for the first time in their history. Kurata netted 8 times in 28 J2 appearances in 2013 as Gamba bounced back at the first time of asking, securing the league title with 87 points from 42 games.

2014 was a dream for Gamba as not only did they return to Japan's top flight but they also helped themselves to a domestic treble; lifting the J1 title as well as the J.League Cup and Emperor's Cup. Kurata scored 11 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, a personal best for him in the blue and black of Gamba. The men from Suita added the 2015 Japanese Super Cup and 2015 Emperor's Cup titles to their haul from the previous year, defeating Urawa Red Diamonds in the final of both competitions, and also reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League before going down to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande over two legs. Kurata played 55 times in all competitions and found the back of the net on 8 occasions.

Gamba failed to lift any silverware between 2016 and 2018, however Kurata remained an integral part of the side, missing just 4 league games across the 3 seasons and scoring 14 times.[1][2]

International career

On 23 July 2015, Japan's coach Vahid Halilhodžić called him up for the upcoming 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup.[3] He earned his first international cap in a 1-1 draw with China on August 5. His next national team involvement would come as a second half substitute in Japan's 2-0 victory away to the United Arab Emirates in March 2017. He followed that up by playing both games in Japan's double header against Syria and Iraq in June with both matches finishing 1-1.

October 2017 would prove to be a high point in his international career as he scored in both the 2-1 friendly victory over New Zealand on October 6 and the 3-3 draw at home to Haiti 4 days later.

He was named in the squad for the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship in December 2017 and started all 3 of Japan's games; the victories over North Korea and China as well as the 4-1 defeat to South Korea in the decisive match of the tournament which saw Japan finish as runners-up.[4][5][6]

Club statistics

Last update: 2 December 2018.[7][2]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Other1 Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Japan League Emperor's Cup League Cup Asia Total
2007Gamba OsakaJ1600020--80
2008130401030-210
200930000010-40
Total 220403040-330
2010JEF United ChibaJ229831---329
Total 29831---329
2011Cerezo OsakaJ13310501051-4411
Total 3310501051-4411
2012Gamba OsakaJ1317412031-409
2013J228810---298
2014J130663112--4711
2015315414011250558
201634220505010472
2017338202060-438
20183141060--384
2019000000--00
Total 218402053022536029950
Career total 302583263423446040870

1 includes FIFA Club World Cup appearances and 2 includes J. League Championship, Japanese Super Cup and Suruga Bank Championship appearances.

National team statistics

Last Update:6 February 2019[4]

Japan national team
YearAppsGoals
201510
201600
201782
Total92

International goals
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.[8]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 October 2017Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Japan New Zealand2–12–12017 Kirin Challenge Cup
2.10 October 2017International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan Haiti1–03–32017 Kirin Challenge Cup

Honours

Updated to 2018 season.[2]

References
  1. "Shu Kurata Gamba Osaka Player Profile". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  2. "Shu Kurata Soccerway Player Statistics". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. http://www.jfa.jp/national_team/news/00006836/ EAFF東アジアカップ2015（8/2～9＠中国／武漢） SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）メンバー・スケジュール
  4. Japan National Football Team Database(in Japanese)
  5. "Squads Japan". EAFF. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  6. "SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）メンバー・スケジュール【EAFF E-1 サッカー選手権 2017 決勝大会（12/8-16）】" (in Japanese). JFA. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  7. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 81 out of 289)
  8. "Kurata, Shu". National Football Teams. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
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