Playing Career
After graduating from Nara Ikuei High School in 1995, he joined J. League side Yokohama Flügels. He became the No. 1 GK for the club in August of that season. His first professional appearance came on August 16, 1995 in a league match against Bellmare Hiratsuka. He contributed to the club winning the Emperor's Cup in 1998. When Flügels was merged with cross-town Yokohama Marinos in 1999, he was signed by Nagoya Grampus Eight. He was again a member of the Emperor's Cup winning side in 1999 but this time with Nagoya.
He made his international debut for Japan on February 15, 1998 against Australia. He participated in three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. He played all the Japan matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals although Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was preferred ahead of him in the 1998 and 2006 finals.
He played for Japan as the No.1 goalkeeper following an injury to Kawaguchi, but himself sustained a broken finger in 2009. After recovering, he was named in the 2010 World Cup squad as one of two Japanese players (the other being Kawaguchi) to participate in 4 consecutive World Cups. However, despite performing impressively in the qualifiers, he was benched for the tournament in favour of his former understudy Eiji Kawashima. He would make one last appearance for Japan when he captained the team to a 2-1 victory over Guatemala on 7 September 2010 before retiring from international duty.
In 2010, Narazaki became the first goalkeeper to receive the J. League Most Valuable Player award.
Read more about this topic: Seigo Narazaki
Famous quotes containing the words playing and/or career:
“The greatest events occur without intention playing any part in them; chance makes good mistakes and undoes the most carefully planned undertaking. The world’s greatest events are not produced, they happen.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)
“I doubt that I would have taken so many leaps in my own writing or been as clear about my feminist and political commitments if I had not been anointed as early as I was. Some major form of recognition seems to have to mark a woman’s career for her to be able to go out on a limb without having her credentials questioned.”
—Ruth Behar (b. 1956)