Yuki Abe
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yuki Abe | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
 Urawa Red Diamonds | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 January 2008 | |||
Yuki Abe (阿部 勇樹, Abe Yūki, born September 6, 1981 in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese footballer, a midfielder for the Urawa Red Diamonds of the J-League and the Japanese national team.
On August 5, 1998, Abe, then a member of the JEF United Ichihara (now JEF United Ichihara Chiba) youth side, made his debut with the senior club at the age of 16 years and 333 days, at the time a record for the youngest Japanese professional player and J-League. He went on to become JEF United's captain, and led the club to the 2005 and 2006 J. League Cup titles while being named to the league's Best Eleven during the span.
Abe made his senior national team debut on January 29, 2005, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan and scored his first national team goal on September 6, 2006 against Yemen in a 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification match. He was not selected to Japan's 2006 FIFA World Cup team, but he has become a regular under his former JEF United coach Ivica Osim, who took over as the national team head coach after the World Cup. He had previously represented Japan at the Under-20 and Under-23 levels, appearing in all three first round matches at the 2004 Olympics and scoring a goal against Italy.
On January 22, 2007, Abe joined Urawa, the defending J. League and Emperor's Cup champions, for a transfer fee of around ¥360 million (around $3 million), a record amount for a Japanese player in a domestic deal.[1]
Abe helped Urawa to win the AFC Champions League 2007 title by scoring a goal in the second leg of the final against Iran's Sepahan F.C.. [2]
Honors and awards
Individual
- J. League Best Eleven: 2005, 2006
- J. League Cup New Hero Award: 2005
Team
- AFC Champions League Champions: 2007
- J. League Cup Champions: 2005, 2006
National Team Career Statistics
Appearances in major competitions
| Team | Competition | Category | Appearances | Goals | Team Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Sub | |||||
| Japan |
2004 Olympics | U-23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Round 1 |
| Japan |
2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Senior | 5 | 0 | 1 | Qualified |
Goals for Senior National Team
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | August 16, 2006 | Niigata, Japan |  Yemen |
2-0 | Won | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 2. | July 25, 2007 | Hanoi, Vietnam |  Saudi Arabia |
2-3 | Lost | 2007 AFC Asian Cup Semi-Finals |
References
- ^ "Abe makes record switch to Japan's Urawa Reds". Reuters. 2007-01-22. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Template:Languageicon Reds rule Asia / Sink Sepahan to become 1st J.League club to win ACL, earn Club World Cup berth