Quick Facts
Biography
Atsushi Yanagisawa (柳沢 敦, Yanagisawa Atsushi, born May 27, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He played as a striker. He is best known for playing the majority of his career at Kashima Antlers as well as spells with Italian side Sampdoria and Messina Peloro.
Yanagisawa earned 58 caps for the Japan national team, and represented them at two World Cups, the 2000 Olympics and the 2000 Asian Cup.
Yanagisawa was widely berated in Japan for wasting Japan's best opportunity in a match with Croatia in the World Cup first round in 2006, with his post-game explanation: "The ball came at me so quickly" (in Japanese "kyu ni bohru ga kita no de") earning its own abbreviation: "QBK," used as a byword for a lame excuse.
He married Yukari Obata, a Japanese fashion model, in December 2003.
Career statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1996 | Kashima Antlers | J1 League | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 6 |
| 1997 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 39 | 12 | ||
| 1998 | 32 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 38 | 22 | ||
| 1999 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 10 | ||
| 2000 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 7 | ||
| 2001 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 32 | 15 | ||
| 2002 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2003 | 8 | 2 | - | - | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 2003-04 | Sampdoria | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 18 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | Messina Peloro | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 26 | 1 | |
| 2005-06 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | |||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 2006 | Kashima Antlers | J1 League | 23 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 6 |
| 2007 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2008 | Kyoto Sanga FC | 32 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 15 | |
| 2009 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 29 | 6 | ||
| 2010 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 38 | 6 | ||
| 2011 | Vegalta Sendai | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2013 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2014 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | ||
| Total | Japan | 371 | 108 | 35 | 10 | 64 | 14 | 470 | 132 | |
| Italy | 44 | 0 | 7 | 1 | - | 51 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 415 | 108 | 36 | 11 | 64 | 14 | 521 | 133 | ||
National team statistics
Honors and awards
Individual
- J. League Rookie of the Year: 1997
- J. League Best Eleven: 1998, 2001, 2008
- Japanese Footballer of the Year: 2001
Team
- AFC Asian Cup: 2000
- J1 League: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001