Takayuki Suzuki

Suzuki has spent the majority of his playing career with Kashima Antlers, playing six stints for the team over the course of ten years, in between short periods playing in Brazil and Belgium. Suzuki played 87 games in the J1 League for Kashima, scoring 17 goals, and helping the team win the J1 Championship in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Takayuki Suzuki had not scored for 1790 minutes/46 games consecutive, until he scored a goal against RSC Anderlecht in September 2003.

On January 28, 2006, Suzuki signed with Red Star Belgrade during the 2005/06 season winter break at the period Toyota was the main sponsor of the club.[1] However, Suzuki's time in Serbia was a disappointment and his move back to J1 League to join Yokohama F. Marinos was announced on January 19, 2007.[2]

On 28 March 2008 it was revealed that he signed a one-year contract with Portland Timbers of the USL First Division, joining on a free transfer.[3]

On 8 June 2011 Suzuki agreed to join J2 League side Mito HollyHock. With the club and city in financial difficult following a massive earthquake, he promised to play for free in the 2011 season.[4]

After only one season with JEF United Chiba, he announces his retirement from football at the age of 39.[5]

Suzuki made his international debut for Japan national team in 2001, and scored his first international goal on June 2, 2001, in a 2001 Confederations Cup game against Cameroon.[6]

He played all four of Japan's games at the 2002 World Cup on home soil, starting the first three and scoring in the 2–2 tie against Belgium; Japan were eliminated in the round of 16 following a 1–0 defeat to Turkey.[6]

He was also part of the Japanese team which won the 2004 Asian Cup. He played 55 games and scored 11 goals for Japan until 2005.[6]

Suzuki is a no-nonsense physical player whose playing style is different compared to other forwards and strikers. He is well known for his defensive pressure on other defenders to force them to make mistakes. Suzuki was nicknamed the "Japanese Blond Bomber" because of his blond-dyed hair (the original blond bomber was legendary German striker Jürgen Klinsmann). As the result of world record about consecutive no goals, Japanese call Suzuki as 'Master No Goal'.

[6]

Appearances in major competitions

Team	Competition	Category	Appearances		Goals	Team Record
			Start	Sub
Japan	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup	Senior	3	0	2	Runners-up
Japan	2002 FIFA World Cup	Senior	3	1	1	Round of 16
Japan	2004 AFC Asian Cup	Senior	6	0	1	Champions
Japan	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	Senior	0	1	0	Round 1
Japan	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	Senior	5	4	3	Qualified

National team goals

[6]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	June 2, 2001	Niigata, Japan	Cameroon	2-0	Won	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup Group stage
2.	June 2, 2001	Niigata, Japan	Cameroon	2-0	Won	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup Group stage
3.	October 7, 2001	Southampton, UK	Nigeria	2-2	Draw	Friendly
4.	June 4, 2002	Saitama, Japan	Belgium	2-2	Draw	2002 FIFA World Cup Group stage
5.	June 9, 2004	Saitama, Japan	India	7-0	Won	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.	July 9, 2004	Hiroshima, Japan	Slovakia	3-1	Won	Friendly
7.	July 31, 2004	Chongqing, China	Jordan	1-1	Draw*	2004 AFC Asian Cup Quarter-finals
8.	August 18, 2004	Shizuoka, Japan	Argentina	1-2	Lost	Friendly
9.	September 8, 2004	Kolkata, India	India	4-0	Won	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
10.	October 13, 2004	Muscat, Oman	Oman	1-0	Won	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
11.	February 2, 2005	Saitama, Japan	Syria	3-0	Won	Friendly

• Japan advanced to semi-final by penalty shootout

• Takayuki Suzuki is featured on the 2001 PlayStation 2 game cover "Jikkyou J-League Perfect Striker 4" together with Shunsuke Nakamura and Atsuhiro Miura

• Takayuki Suzuki – FIFA competition record
• Takayuki Suzuki at National-Football-Teams.com
• Japan National Football Team Database
• Takayuki Suzuki at J.League (in Japanese)
• Portland Timbers bio
• Suzuki's USL Goal of the Week from 4/26/08 at YouTube