Takahiro Yamada
Encyclopedia
is a retired Japanese football (soccer) player. He was a skillful attacking midfielder.
. At the high school, he won the national high school championship and the national youth championship with his team mates including Hiroshi Nanami
, Go Oiwa and Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
. Some scouts regarded him as the No. 1 high school player of his age.
After graduating in 1990, he joined Japan Soccer League
side Nissan Motor F.C. where his powerful dribbling helped him quickly establish himself as a regular. When Japan's first-ever professional league J. League
started in 1993, Nissan F.C. was transformed to Yokohama Marinos for whom he continued to play.
He moved to Kyoto Purple Sanga
in 1998, and then to Verdy Kawasaki in 1999. He announced the retirement from the game after the 1999 season at the age of 29. However, Hidehiko Shimizu, the manager of J. League Division 2 side Vegalta Sendai
, who had also managed Yamada at Yokohama Marinos, successfully persuaded him to come out of the retirement and help Sendai to gain the promotion to Division 1. Yamada played for Sendai for 3 years from June 2000 to June 2003 before finally hanging up his boots. He was the leader and the influential player for Sendai who were promoted to Division 1 for the 2002 season.
He was capped once for the Japanese national team when he played in a friendly against Australia on September 27, 1994 at the Tokyo National Olympic Stadium
. He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
but did not play in the tournament.
After retiring from the game, he started his own business, a franchise chain of bakeries specialising in Melon buns
, in Sendai
.
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Nissan Motors
||rowspan="2"|JSL Division 1
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1991/92||9||0||||||1||0||10||0
|-
|1992||rowspan="6"|Yokohama Marinos
||rowspan="6"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||0||0||9||1||9||1
|-
|1993||27||3||3||0||1||1||31||4
|-
|1994||32||1||1||0||3||1||36||2
|-
|1995||43||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||44||7
|-
|1996||23||1||0||0||9||2||32||3
|-
|1997||25||6||0||0||5||0||30||6
|-
|1998||Kyoto Purple Sanga||J. League 1||29||1||1||0||0||0||30||1
|-
|1999||Verdy Kawasaki||J. League 1||27||1||3||0||2||0||32||1
|-
|2000||rowspan="4"|Vegalta Sendai
||rowspan="2"|J. League 2
||19||0||1||1||0||0||20||1
|-
|2001||28||3||3||0||2||0||33||3
|-
|2002||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||18||0||2||0||2||0||22||0
|-
|2003||0||0||0||0||1||0||1||0
280||23||15||1||35||5||330||29
280||23||15||1||35||5||330||29
|}
|1994||1||0
|-
!Total||1||0
|}
Career
Yamada was educated at and played for Shimizu Commercial High SchoolShimizu Commercial High School
is a co-educational commercial high school located in Shimizu ward, Shizuoka city, Japan. The school was founded in 1921. It has a strong soccer program and has won the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament three times...
. At the high school, he won the national high school championship and the national youth championship with his team mates including Hiroshi Nanami
Hiroshi Nanami
is a former professional footballer for Júbilo Iwata of the J. League Division 1. He was born in Shizuoka Prefecture.-Playing career:Nanami was a key figure for the Japan national team throughout the late 1990s and during the early part of this century....
, Go Oiwa and Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
is a retired Japanese football player. He was capped 14 times for the Japanese national team and scored the winning goal in Asian Cup 2000 Final, Japan vs Saudi Arabia.Mochizuki played for Vissel Kobe and JEF United Ichihara in the J. League....
. Some scouts regarded him as the No. 1 high school player of his age.
After graduating in 1990, he joined Japan Soccer League
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
side Nissan Motor F.C. where his powerful dribbling helped him quickly establish himself as a regular. When Japan's first-ever professional league J. League
J. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
started in 1993, Nissan F.C. was transformed to Yokohama Marinos for whom he continued to play.
He moved to Kyoto Purple Sanga
Kyoto Purple Sanga
is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto. The word "Sanga" is a Sanskrit term meaning "group" or "club", often used to denote Buddhist congregations. This reflects Kyoto's tradition of Buddhist temples...
in 1998, and then to Verdy Kawasaki in 1999. He announced the retirement from the game after the 1999 season at the age of 29. However, Hidehiko Shimizu, the manager of J. League Division 2 side Vegalta Sendai
Vegalta Sendai
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J. League Division 1. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Their home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai, in Izumi-ku, Sendai, although a few home games have also been played at nearby Miyagi Stadium.-History:Founded in 1988...
, who had also managed Yamada at Yokohama Marinos, successfully persuaded him to come out of the retirement and help Sendai to gain the promotion to Division 1. Yamada played for Sendai for 3 years from June 2000 to June 2003 before finally hanging up his boots. He was the leader and the influential player for Sendai who were promoted to Division 1 for the 2002 season.
He was capped once for the Japanese national team when he played in a friendly against Australia on September 27, 1994 at the Tokyo National Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Tokyo)
or National Stadium is a stadium in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan that served as the main stadium for the 1964 Summer Olympics. It currently serves as the stadium where the Japan national football teams home matches and major football club cup finals are held.-History:The stadium was...
. He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
1992 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 1992 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan between October 29 and November 8. The host nation, Japan, defeated the defending champion Saudi Arabia in the final in Hiroshima.-Stadiums:...
but did not play in the tournament.
After retiring from the game, he started his own business, a franchise chain of bakeries specialising in Melon buns
Melonpan
, also known as Melon pan, Melon buns or Melon bread, are sweet bakery products from Japan, but also popular in Taiwan and China. They are made from an enriched dough covered in a thin layer of crisp cookie dough. Their appearance resembles a melon, such as a rock melon...
, in Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
.
Club career statistics
|-|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Nissan Motors
Yokohama F. Marinos
is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...
||rowspan="2"|JSL Division 1
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1991/92||9||0||||||1||0||10||0
|-
|1992||rowspan="6"|Yokohama Marinos
Yokohama F. Marinos
is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...
||rowspan="6"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||0||0||9||1||9||1
|-
|1993||27||3||3||0||1||1||31||4
|-
|1994||32||1||1||0||3||1||36||2
|-
|1995||43||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||44||7
|-
|1996||23||1||0||0||9||2||32||3
|-
|1997||25||6||0||0||5||0||30||6
|-
|1998||Kyoto Purple Sanga||J. League 1||29||1||1||0||0||0||30||1
|-
|1999||Verdy Kawasaki||J. League 1||27||1||3||0||2||0||32||1
|-
|2000||rowspan="4"|Vegalta Sendai
Vegalta Sendai
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J. League Division 1. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Their home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai, in Izumi-ku, Sendai, although a few home games have also been played at nearby Miyagi Stadium.-History:Founded in 1988...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 2
J. League Division 2
The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...
||19||0||1||1||0||0||20||1
|-
|2001||28||3||3||0||2||0||33||3
|-
|2002||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||18||0||2||0||2||0||22||0
|-
|2003||0||0||0||0||1||0||1||0
280||23||15||1||35||5||330||29
280||23||15||1||35||5||330||29
|}
International career statistics
|-|1994||1||0
|-
!Total||1||0
|}