Eiji Kawashima

Eiji Kawashima (Japanese川岛 永 嗣Eiji Kawashima, born March 20, 1983 in Yono (now Saitama ), Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese football goalkeeper and member of the Japanese national soccer team. He currently plays for Jupiler Pro League club Standard Liège. Since 2007, Kawashima was one of four vice-president of the players union of the J- League ( Jリーグ 選手 協会, jei rīgu senshu Kyōkai ).

Career

Kawashima played in his youth for the Urawa Higashi High School. After leaving school he signed in 2001 at Omiya Ardija. The following year, he woke during a tour of Italy in the interest of AC Parma, but the Japanese have given the advances of Serie A clubs a rejection.

At the FIFA U- 20 World Cup 2003, he made ​​his name as a reflex strong goalkeeper with good positional play, who made an important contribution to the quarter-finals his team. This gave him the commitment to Nagoya Grampus. There he took the competition with Seigo Narazaki to be number one in the gate of the team. It was a fight he should lose at the end, but he was able to successfully profile as a courageous and ambitious challenger. Unhappy with his role as a reserve goalkeeper for Narazaki, he finally moved to Kawasaki Frontale, where he regularly came into use in both the J.League as well in the AFC Champions League and 2007, soon proved to be national player in the Japanese national football team, for which he at February 17, 2008 debuted in the match against North Korea, established.

From coach Takeshi Okada Kawashima was nominated alongside Seigo Narazaki and Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi for the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa. In the test match against England on May 30, 2010 in Graz, preference was given to him over the other two, much more experienced goalkeepers. In the game, he distinguished himself by a held penalty shot by Frank Lampard. During the World Cup he came as a goalkeeper in all games in Japan for use.

After the 2010 World Cup, he moved to Europe to Jupiler Pro League Club Lierse SK.

On 29 January 2011, he won the Asian Cup as goalkeeper with the Japanese national team. In the final against Australia (1-0 aet), he distinguished himself repeatedly by strong parades, ensured the victory for Japan, from. In the semifinal against South Korea (3-0 p) he had previously also shone as he held twice in a penalty shootout.

Awards

  • J. League Best Eleven - 2009
  • J. League Fair Play Award - 2009
Saitama, Saitama Parma F.C.
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