Kazuhiko Chiba

1.1. Youth and Amateur Career

Kazuhiko Chiba began playing football seriously at the age of eight, during his third year of elementary school, by joining the local club, Kushiro Tomihara FC in Hokkaido. Following his father's job transfer, he moved to Mie Prefecture, where he attended Tsu Municipal Hokkyo Junior High School. From 2001 to 2003, Chiba continued his athletic and academic pursuits as a scholarship student at Nissei Gakuen Daini High School (now Aoyama High School). During his high school years, he participated in annual overseas tours to the Netherlands and Spain as a member of the Mie Prefectural Selection team. Initially, he played as a forward, but later in his first year, he was converted to a defensive midfielder, specifically an anchor. In 2002, during his second year of high school, alongside older teammate Eiichiro Ozaki, Chiba helped his team defeat Yokkaichi Chuo Kogyo High School, which featured players like Koji Nishimura and Akira Hida, leading to the school's first appearance in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

1.2. Overseas League Career

After graduating from high school, Chiba aimed to become a professional footballer, but he did not receive any offers from J-League clubs. Relying on a contact, he traveled alone to the Netherlands and, in January 2004, joined AGOVV Apeldoorn in the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) after a successful trial. He signed an amateur contract with the club, relying on financial support from his parents as he pursued his football dreams. During the middle of the 2004-05 season, he was regularly deployed as an anchor by manager Jurrie Koolhof, making 21 league appearances. After the season, Koolhof moved to FC Dordrecht, another Dutch second-division club, and Chiba was set to join him there on an amateur contract. However, in July 2005, through another contact, Chiba participated in training with Albirex Niigata in Japan. He received an offer from Albirex Niigata's coach, Yasuharu Sorimachi, and officially signed a professional contract with the club in August 2005, making him a "reverse imported J-Leaguer."

1.3. First Stint at Albirex Niigata (2005-2011)

Upon joining Albirex Niigata in 2005, Kazuhiko Chiba initially played as a defensive midfielder. However, due to personnel shortages, he also filled in as a defender in a three-back system.

From 2006, under new manager Jun Suzuki, Chiba consistently played, rotating between defensive midfield and centre-back positions depending on the team's needs. In 2007, he established himself as a regular center-back and played a crucial role in the club's achieving its then-highest-ever third-place standing before the league's mid-season break. His strong performance led to his selection for the Japan U-22 national team in October of the same year, under the guidance of his former coach, Yasuharu Sorimachi.

Despite contributing to the team's efforts to avoid relegation in 2008 amidst a series of injuries to teammates, and his versatility proving valuable, his playing opportunities decreased in 2009 when the team adopted a 4-3-3 formation. However, in 2010, he was appointed vice-captain of the team and was consistently used as a center-back throughout the season. From 2011, his registered position was officially changed to defender. On August 6, 2011, in the 20th round of the J1 League against Shimizu S-Pulse, Chiba scored his first professional goal in his seventh year as a professional, heading in a corner kick from Anderson Gonzaga in the 94th minute.

1.4. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (2012-2018)

In 2012, Kazuhiko Chiba made a permanent transfer to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, following Hajime Moriyasu, who had served as a head coach at Albirex Niigata and was appointed as Hiroshima's manager. In his first year with Hiroshima in 2012, Chiba played as a center-back in all but one match (which he missed due to suspension), making 33 appearances and significantly contributing to Hiroshima's first-ever J1 League championship. Notably, the only match he missed was the 33rd round against Cerezo Osaka, which turned out to be the title-deciding game for Hiroshima. Subsequently, he became an undisputed regular in Hiroshima's three-back defense.

In 2013, Chiba helped Sanfrecce Hiroshima secure a consecutive J1 League title. He was appointed player's association president for the club in 2014. On April 25, 2015, in a J1 League 1st Stage match against Shimizu S-Pulse, Chiba scored a header from a Kosei Shibasaki free-kick in the 29th minute of the first half. This goal marked Sanfrecce Hiroshima's 1000th goal in the J1 League. That year, Hiroshima recorded 74 points and clinched their third J1 title. On July 30, 2016, in a J1 League 2nd Stage match against Gamba Osaka, Chiba made his 300th appearance in the J1 League, becoming the 87th player in J1 history to reach this milestone. After suffering a wrist fracture in the opening match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in 2018, Chiba lost his regular playing opportunities and subsequently left Hiroshima at the end of the season.

1.5. Nagoya Grampus (2019-2020)

For the 2019 season, Kazuhiko Chiba moved to Nagoya Grampus. During his time with the club, he made only one league appearance in 2019. In 2020, he did not make any official appearances, marking the first time in 15 years that he had not played in a competitive match.

1.6. Second Stint at Albirex Niigata (2021-present)

In 2021, Kazuhiko Chiba made a full transfer back to Albirex Niigata, which was then competing in the J2 League. He has since remained with the club, with his contract being extended for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons, continuing to contribute to the team.

1.7. National Team Career

Kazuhiko Chiba has been involved with various levels of the Japanese national football teams throughout his career. He was part of the U-21, U-22, and U-23 national teams, including being a preliminary registered member for the Beijing Olympics Asian Qualifiers.

In 2013, Chiba received his first call-up to the senior Japanese national team for the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup, which was primarily composed of domestic J-League players. He made his senior international debut on July 25, 2013, in a match against Australia.

1.8. Controversies and Incidents

During his career, Kazuhiko Chiba has been involved in notable incidents related to doping tests, each with specific circumstances and outcomes.

In 2007, Chiba was temporarily suspended from club activities by Albirex Niigata after it was revealed he had used an ointment containing a steroid-based substance that was prohibited by anti-doping regulations. However, subsequent investigations by the J-League determined that the medication, when used appropriately, did not pose a problem, and a re-administered doping test yielded a negative result. The J-League concluded that the issue was not significant enough to warrant his suspension.

In October 2016, while playing for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Chiba again tested positive in a post-match doping test, leading to a temporary provisional suspension. It was later found that the prohibited substance was contained in a supplement that the club had consumed after verifying its ingredients with the manufacturer, who had confirmed it was safe and did not contain any prohibited substances. As a result, his suspension was lifted within the year. Although Chiba was deemed to have no fault in the matter and had exercised due diligence as a player, anti-doping regulations hold players responsible for any presence of prohibited substances, regardless of the cause. Consequently, he received the lightest possible sanction, a reprimand. Chiba later publicly joked about the incident at a 2017 season event, stating that he had returned from a "loan spell at 'FC Supplement' in America."

4.1. Club Statistics

¹ Includes Japanese Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and J. League Championship.

4.2. Career Milestones

• J.League Debut: May 12, 2006, J1 League 12th round, Albirex Niigata vs. Shimizu S-Pulse at Niigata Stadium.
• First Official J.League Goal: April 11, 2007, J.League Cup Preliminary Round 4, Albirex Niigata vs. Ventforet Kofu at Niigata Stadium.
• First J.League Match Goal: August 6, 2011, J1 League 20th round, Albirex Niigata vs. Shimizu S-Pulse at Niigata Stadium.

4.3. National Team Statistics

5.1. Club Honours

; Sanfrecce Hiroshima

• J1 League: 2012, 2013, 2015
• Japanese Super Cup: 2013, 2014, 2016

; Albirex Niigata

• J2 League: 2022

5.2. International Honours

; Japan

• EAFF East Asian Cup: 2013

5.3. Individual Honours

• J.League Excellent Player Award: 2012, 2015