Junichi Inamoto

Junichi Inamoto

Inamoto playing for Kawasaki Frontale in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Junichi Inamoto[1]
Date of birth	(1979-09-18) 18 September 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth	Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder[3]
Youth career
1992–1997	Gamba Osaka
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2004	Gamba Osaka	118	(16)
2001–2002	→ Arsenal (loan)	0	(0)
2002–2004	→ Fulham (loan)	41	(4)
2004–2006	West Bromwich Albion	28	(0)
2004–2005	→ Cardiff City (loan)	14	(0)
2006–2007	Galatasaray	25	(0)
2007–2009	Eintracht Frankfurt	43	(0)
2009–2010	Rennes	5	(0)
2010–2014	Kawasaki Frontale	99	(3)
2015–2018	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo	47	(1)
2019–2021	SC Sagamihara	19	(1)
2022–2024	Nankatsu SC	2	(0)
Total		441	(25)
International career
1995	Japan U-17	3	(0)
1998–1999	Japan U-20	11	(4)
1998–2000	Japan U-23	15	(5)
2000–2010	Japan	82	(5)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Winner 2000 Lebanon FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2001 Korea/Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Junichi Inamoto (稲本 潤一, Inamoto Jun'ichi, born 18 September 1979) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.^[4] He is a retired international for the Japan national team.

Club career

Gamba Osaka

Inamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture.^[3] He played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during his last year of high school, signing with the club in 1997. In April of that year, at the age of 17, he made his debut in the 1997 J.League season,^[4] making him the youngest player in the J.League (at that time).^[5] He played for Gamba until summer 2001 and played 118 matches in the J1 League.^[4]

Loan to Arsenal

Inamoto was then one of many high-profile transfers of Asian players to Europe, signing with Arsenal of the English Premier League. Inamoto scored two goals for the Japan national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but had already been released by Arsenal shortly before the tournament began.^[6]

Loan to Fulham

Inamoto was then signed by Fulham on a long-term loan deal from Gamba Osaka.^[7] Initially he settled well at the London club,^[8] garnering good notices as a tough-tackling midfielder with an eye for a spectacular goal. He became a fan favourite quickly, scoring four goals over the two legs of Fulham's 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup final win against Bologna, scoring once in the first leg^[9] and a hat trick in the second.^[10] Other notable goals he scored in his time for Fulham include goals against Tottenham Hotspur,^[11] Sunderland,^[12] Middlesbrough^[13] and also in the 3–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2003.^[14] He also scored in the FA Cup against Everton^[15] which commentator Barry Davies described as "a Japanese peach".^{[citation needed]} Inamoto was also described as "bigger than Beckham" by the Japanese media.^[16] However, he sustained a fractured tibia in an international friendly against England, and returned to Gamba Osaka to do promotional work. Fulham were interested in signing him once more, but concerns remained over his recovery from injury.^[17][18]

West Bromwich Albion

Inamoto signed with West Bromwich Albion for a decidedly small £200,000 transfer fee, which was only to be paid once he had made an appearance for the Midlands club.^[19] However, Gary Megson departed as West Bromwich Albion manager shortly afterwards, and successor Bryan Robson was unsure of the player.

Loan to Cardiff City

Inamoto was loaned to Cardiff City for the latter part of the 2004–05 season,^[20] and impressed, being recalled to play a role in West Brom's survival campaign in the Premiership. In 2005–06 he was a regular in the West Brom side, and was called up to the Japan squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the first Albion player to play in the tournament for 20 years.^{[citation needed]} While at West Brom Inamoto scored once, an extra time winner in a League Cup tie against former club Fulham on 25 October 2005.^[21]

Galatasaray

On 31 August 2006, Inamoto signed for Galatasaray.^[22]

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 29 May 2007, it was revealed that he signed a two-year contract with German club Eintracht Frankfurt, joining on a free transfer.^[23] Inamoto was presented in a press conference joining fellow Japanese striker Naohiro Takahara in Frankfurt and was released on 30 May 2009.

Rennes

On 19 June 2009, French Ligue 1 side Rennes announced that Inamoto had signed a contract with them.^[24]

Kawasaki Frontale

Inamoto signed for J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale on 11 January 2010 in a move back to his homeland after nine years away in Europe. He played for Frontale for 5 seasons. He left at the end of the 2014 season.^[25]

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

In 2015, Inamoto then subsequently featured for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (later Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) in the J2 League. Consadole won the 2016 season and was promoted to J1.^[26] However he could only play single-digit matches every season from the 2016 season onward.^[4] He resigned at the end of the 2018 season.^[27]

SC Sagamihara

On 23 January 2019, Inamoto signed with J3 League club SC Sagamihara.^[28] On 15 June 2019, he scored his first goal for the club in a league match against Gamba Osaka U23.

Nankatsu SC

On 18 January 2022, Inamoto signed for fifth tier Kantō Soccer League club, Nankatsu SC. On 30 July 2023, he scored his first goal for the club at the age of 43 in a league match against Toin University of Yokohama scoring a header.

He retired from playing in December 2024.^[29]

International career

In August 1995, Inamoto was selected for Japan U17 for the 1995 U-17 World Championship. He played all three matches.^[30] In April 1999, he was selected for Japan U20 for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.^[30] At this tournament, he played three matches as Japan finished second.

On 5 February 2000, Inamoto debuted for the senior Japan national team under manager Philippe Troussier against Mexico.^[31] After his debut, Inamoto played ten matches or more every year under Troussier.^[31]

In September 2000, Inamoto was selected for Japan U23 for 2000 Summer Olympics. He played the full game in all four matches and scored a goal against Slovakia.^[30]

In 2000, Inamoto played at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. He played four matches^[31] as Japan won the championship. In 2001, he also played at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played four matches^[31] as Japan finished second. In 2002, he was selected by Japan for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played all four matches and scored two goals against Belgium in the first match and Russia in the second match. Japan qualified for the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Inamoto played at the 2003 and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.^[31] In 2006, he was selected by Japan for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played two matches as Japan was eliminated at the group stage.

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, due to generational change, Inamoto was not selected for Japan again until June 2007.^[31] After that, he played several matches every year. In 2010, he was selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played two matches^[31] as Japan qualified for the knockout stage. This World Cup would mark Inamoto’s last game for Japan. In total, he played 82 games and scored 5 goals for the national side.^[31]

Career statistics

Club

As of 14 October 2022^[4][32]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Gamba Osaka	1997	J1 League	27	3	3	0	6	0	–		36	3
	1998		28	6	1	0	4	0	–		33	6
	1999		22	1	2	0	0	0	–		24	1
	2000		28	4	2	0	4	1	–		34	5
	2001		13	2	0	0	3	0	–		16	2
	Total		118	16	8	0	17	1	–		143	17
Arsenal (loan)	2001–02	Premier League	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4	0
Fulham (loan)	2002–03	Premier League	19	2	2	0	2	0	10[a]	4	33	6
	2003–04		22	2	2	1	1	0	–		25	3
	Total		41	4	4	1	3	0	10	4	58	9
West Bromwich Albion	2004–05	Premier League	3	0	0	0	0	0	–		3	0
	2005–06	Premier League	22	0	2	0	2	1	–		26	1
	2006–07	Championship	3	0	0	0	0	0	–		3	0
	Total		28	0	2	0	2	1	–		32	1
Cardiff City (loan)	2004–05	Championship	14	0	2	0	0	0	–		16	0
Galatasaray	2006–07	Süper Lig	25	0	3	0	–		5	1	33	1
Eintracht Frankfurt	2007–08	Bundesliga	24	0	2	0	–		–		26	0
	2008–09		19	0	1	0	–		–		20	0
	Total		43	0	3	0	–		–		46	0
Rennes	2009–10	Ligue 1	5	0	0	0	0	0	–		5	0
Kawasaki Frontale	2010	J1 League	28	0	2	0	4	0	5	0	39	0
	2011		12	2	1	0	1	0	–		14	2
	2012		20	0	1	0	3	0	–		24	0
	2013		25	0	3	0	10	0	–		36	0
	2014		14	1	1	0	1	0	3	0	19	1
	Total		99	3	8	0	20	0	8	0	135	3
Consadole Sapporo	2015	J2 League	31	0	1	0	–		–		32	0
	2016	J2 League	8	1	0	0	–		–		8	1
	2017	J1 League	6	0	0	0	0	0	–		6	0
	2018		2	0	1	0	5	0	–		8	0
	Total		47	1	2	0	5	0	–		54	0
SC Sagamihara	2019	J3 League	9	1	0	0	–		–		9	1
	2020		1	0	0	0	–		–		1	0
	2021	J2 League	9	0	2	0	–		–		11	0
Nankatsu SC	2022	Kanto Soccer League	2	0	0	0	–		–		2	0
Career total			441	25	34	1	49	2	25	5	549	33

1. Includes appearances in the Intertoto Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[31]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Japan	2000	14	0
	2001	11	1
	2002	11	2
	2003	10	1
	2004	6	0
	2005	10	0
	2006	4	0
	2007	3	0
	2008	2	0
	2009	4	1
	2010	8	0
Total		82	5

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Inamoto goal.

List of international goals scored by Junichi Inamoto

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	4 July 2001	Ōita, Japan	FR Yugoslavia		1–0	Friendly match
2	4 June 2002	Saitama, Japan	Belgium		2–2	2002 FIFA World Cup Group Stage
3	9 June 2002	Yokohama, Japan	Russia		1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup Group Stage
4	28 March 2003	Tokyo, Japan	Uruguay		2–2	Friendly match
5	9 September 2009	Utrecht, Netherlands	Ghana		4–3	Friendly match

Honours

Fulham

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002^[33]

Hokkaido Consodale Sapporo

• J2 League: 2016^[34]

Japan U17

• AFC U-17 Championship: 1994^{[citation needed]}

Japan U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1999^{[citation needed]}

Japan

• AFC Asian Cup: 2000^{[citation needed]}
• FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2001^{[citation needed]}

Individual

• J.League Best Eleven: 2000^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "Juni̇chi̇ İnamoto". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
2. "Junichi Inamoto: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
3. "Junichi Inamoto". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
4. Junichi Inamoto at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)
5. goal.com
6. "Arsenal release Inamoto". BBC Sport. 10 June 2002. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
7. "Inamoto joins". Fulham F.C. 15 July 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
8. "Inamoto gears up". Fulham F.C. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
9. "Fulham force draw". BBC Sport. 13 August 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
10. "Fulham clinch Euro glory". BBC Sport. 27 August 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
11. "Fulham stun Spurs". BBC Sport. 11 September 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
12. "Inamoto sees off Sunderland". BBC Sport. 14 September 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
13. "Fulham hold on for win". BBC Sport. 16 August 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
14. "Fulham stun Man Utd". BBC Sport. 25 October 2003. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
15. "Fulham 2–1 Everton (aet)". BBC Sport. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
16. "Bigger than Beckham". Fulham F.C. 24 August 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
17. "Inamoto to leave Fulham". BBC Sport. 29 July 2004. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
18. "Inamoto signs extension". Fulham F.C. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
19. "Inamoto signs for West Brom". BBC Sport. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
20. "Cardiff snap up Inamoto on loan". BBC Sport. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
21. "Fulham 2–3 West Brom (aet)". BBC Sport. 25 October 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
22. "Inamoto leaves Baggies for Turkey". BBC Sport. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
23. "Inamoto kommt" (in German). kicker. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
24. "Junichi Inamoto rejoint le Stade Rennais F.C." (in French). staderennais.com. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
25. Kawasaki Frontale (in Japanese)
26. J.League
27. Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Archived 1 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)
28. SC Sagamihara(in Japanese)
29. "Japan's Premier League pioneer Inamoto retires aged 45". France 24. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
30. Junichi Inamoto – FIFA competition record (archived)
31. Japan National Football Team Database
32. "Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo". Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
33. "Fulham force draw". BBC Sport. 13 August 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
    "Fulham clinch Euro glory". BBC Sport. 27 August 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
34. "J. Inamoto". Soccerway.com.

External links

• Junichi Inamoto – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Junichi Inamoto at National-Football-Teams.com
• Japan National Football Team Database
• Junichi Inamoto at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)
• Junichi Inamoto at Soccerbase