Yoshinori Muto
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 July 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | FC Tokyo | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | FC Tokyo | ||
| 2010–2013 | Keio University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013– | FC Tokyo | 41 | (18) |
| National team | |||
| 2014– | Japan | 11 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 April 2015. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Yoshinori Muto (武藤 嘉紀 Mutō Yoshinori, born 15 July 1992) is a Japanese football forward who plays for FC Tokyo in the J. League Division 1.
Club career
As a child, he joined FC Tokyo's youth system, where he kept developing until 2010. He then enrolled in the Faculty of Economics of Keio University but kept playing football, for Keio's team.
Despite an injury which sidelined him, in his first season with Keio he won the "Rookie of the Year" title.[1]
In 2012 and 2013, FC Tokyo included him in their roster as a "Special Designated Player",[2] an option that allows JLeague clubs to field university players without a professional contract. However, he got on the pitch just once, at the end of a match in July 2013.
In 2014, FC Tokyo grants him his first professional contract,[3] and shirt number 14. Coach Massimo Ficcadenti decides to use him from the first league round and, at the end of the season, Muto nets 33 caps and 13 goals, matching the top debut record in the Japanese first division.[4] At the end of the season, he is included in the JLeague's Best XI.[5]
He graduated from Keio University in March 2015, and the following month was subject to a bid by Chelsea.[6]
In April, he was elected as March's MVP(Player of the Month) in the JLeague.[7]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 25 April 2015
| Club | Season | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| F.C. Tokyo | 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 33 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 39 | 14 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | |
| Total | 41 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 48 | 19 | |
International career
Muto made his debut for Japan on 5 September 2014 in a 0–2 friendly defeat to Uruguay at the Sapporo Dome, replacing Yusuke Minagawa after 58 minutes.[8] Four days later at Yokohama's Nissan Stadium he scored his first international goal, coming on as a halftime substitute against Venezuela and scoring the first goal of a 2–2 draw six minutes later.[9]
As a substitute, Muto played all of Japan's matches at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia, ending with defeat to the United Arab Emirates in the quarter-finals.[10]
References
- ↑ "【ソッカー男子】開幕前取材、第3弾 武藤嘉紀編" (in Japanese).
- ↑ "武藤嘉紀選手（慶應義塾大学）「ＪＦＡ・Ｊリーグ特別指定選手」承認のお知らせ" (in Japanese).
- ↑ "武藤嘉紀選手(慶應義塾大学)来季新加入内定のお知らせ" (in Japanese).
- ↑ "Chelsea scout out Muto". Marca.
- ↑ Dan Orlowitz. "Yasuhito Endo awarded 2014 J-League MVP; FC Tokyo and Gamba Osaka spearhead Best XI". Football Channel Asia.
- ↑ "Yoshinori Muto: Chelsea make bid for Japanese striker". BBC Sport. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ "Muto named Coca-Cola MVP winners in March". JLeague Sport. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ "Japan 0-2 Uruguay: Cavani on target for Celeste". Goal.com. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ West, Harry (9 September 2014). "Japan 2-2 Venezuela: Kawashima mistake costs Aguirre maiden win". Goal.com. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ↑ "Asian Cup 2015: UAE complete shock win over Japan to reach semi-final after penalty shootout dramatics". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
External links
- Yoshinori Muto profile at Soccerway
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