Kazuki Kozuka

Kazuki Kozuka (小塚 和季, Kozuka Kazuki, born 2 August 1994) is a Japanese footballer who plays for Oita Trinita, as a midfielder.

Kazuki Kozuka
小塚和季
Personal information
Full name Kazuki Kozuka
Date of birth (1994-08-02) 2 August 1994
Place of birth Mitsuke, Niigata, Japan
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Oita Trinita
Number 14
Youth career
2010–2012 Teikyo Nagaoka High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Albirex Niigata 8 (0)
2014 → J.League U-22 1 (0)
2014–2015 → Renofa Yamaguchi (loan) 46 (8)
2017 → Renofa Yamaguchi (loan) 39 (8)
2018 Ventforet Kofu 31 (6)
2019– Oita Trinita 33 (1)
National team‡
2012 Japan U-18 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 December 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:43, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

Club career

Kozuka was born in Mitsuke, Niigata. He played junior football for Mitsuke FC and Nagaoka Junior Youth FC in the Hokushin'etsu Youth League while attending Mitsuke Minami Junior High School, before being offered a spot at Teikyo Nagaoka High School on a football scholarship.[1]

Kozuka joined Albirex Niigata as an apprentice professional in 2012.[2] He turned full-time professional with Albirex at the start of the 2013 season and made his first-team debut against Tokushima Vortis in the first round of the Nabisco Cup.[3] His first J. League appearance was in the 2–1 away win over Tokushima Vortis on 26 April 2014.

On 8 July 2014, Kozuka joined Japan Football League side Renofa Yamaguchi on loan until December. He scored his first goal for Rnofa against Sony Sendai on 2 August.[4] He became regular for Renofa, creating a strong attacking partnership with Kazuhito Kishida. Kozuka impressed at Renofa, and his loan deal was eventually extended to the end of the 2015 season. On 6 April 2015, in the 3–0 league victory at Fujieda, Kozuka scored a 60-yard goal from the halfway line.[5]

International career

In April 2012, he was selected in Japan under 18 squad for the TIPOS Slovakia Cup against Norway.[6]

Club statistics
As of 7 December 2019[7][8][9]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Japan League Emperor's Cup J. League Cup Total
2013Albirex NiigataJ1 League00000000
201420–1000
2014Renofa YamaguchiJapan Football League132––132
2015J3 League33600–336
2016Albirex NiigataJ1 League602051131
2017Renofa YamaguchiJ2 League39800–398
2018Ventforet Kofu3160032348
2019Oita TrinitaJ1 League3312010361
Career total 157234010317126

References
  1. 小塚 和季選手（帝京長岡高）来季新加入内定のお知らせ (in Japanese). Albirex Niigata. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. 帝京長岡高校 小塚 和季選手　JFA・Jリーグ特別指定選手に承認 (in Japanese). Albirex Niigata. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. "2014J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup/B 1st Sec". J. League. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. 第16回日本フットボールリーグ - 2014A0031614 (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Football League. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. J3第4節…昇格組の山口が開幕3連勝で首位キープ. Gekisaka (in Japanese). Kodansha. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  6. "Tipos Slovakia Cup 2012: Nórsko - Japonsko 1:1" (in Slovak). Slovak Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 156 out of 289)
  8. Japan - K. Kozuka - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway
  9. 小塚 和季選手 復帰のお知らせ (in Japanese). Albirex Niigata. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
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