1. Early life and background
Mitsuo Watanabe was born on June 4, 1953, in Nasu, Tochigi, Japan. He attended Tochigi Prefectural Nasu High School and, upon graduation in 1972, began his professional football career by joining his local club, Towa Real Estate.
2. Club career
Mitsuo Watanabe spent his entire professional club career, spanning from 1972 to 1983, with the same organization, which underwent a significant name change during his tenure. He was a key player in the club's most successful periods, helping them secure multiple league championships and cup victories.
2.1. Clubs and major achievements
Watanabe joined Towa Real Estate in 1972. The club later relocated to Tokyo and was renamed Fujita Industries, a name under which it achieved significant success. Throughout his 11-year career with the club (which is now known as Shonan Bellmare), Watanabe played in 201 league matches, scoring 34 goals.
Under the name Fujita Industries, the club achieved considerable success in the Japan Soccer League (JSL), winning the league championship three times in 1977, 1979, and 1981. They also finished as JSL runners-up once. In cup competitions, the club secured the Emperor's Cup twice, in 1977 and 1979, and was a two-time runner-up in the same tournament. Additionally, they reached the final of the JSL Cup once, finishing as runners-up.
2.2. Club statistics
| Japan | League | JSL Cup | Emperor's Cup | Period Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1972 | Towa Real Estate / Fujita Industries | JSL Division 1 | 8 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 0 | |||
| 1973 | 18 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 6 | |||||
| 1974 | 18 | 8 | - | - | 18 | 8 | |||||
| 1975 | 18 | 4 | - | - | 18 | 4 | |||||
| 1976 | 18 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 6 | |||||
| 1977 | 17 | 4 | - | - | 17 | 4 | |||||
| 1978 | 18 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 0 | |||||
| 1979 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 4 | |||
| 1980 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |||
| 1981 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
| 1982 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |||
| 1983 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |||
| Total | 201 | 34 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 225 | 37 | |||
3. National team career
Mitsuo Watanabe had a notable career with the Japan national football team, representing his country in various international competitions and friendly matches during the 1970s.
3.1. International appearances and tournaments
Watanabe made his debut for the Japan national football team on February 12, 1974, in a friendly match against Singapore. Later that year, in September, he was selected to represent Japan at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran, Iran. He also participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics qualification tournament.
At the youth level, Watanabe was part of the Japan U-19 national team that competed in the 1973 AFC U-19 Championship, where the team finished as runners-up. He also played one match for the JSL Selected Team in 1974, though he did not score. His primary positions for the national team were forward and midfielder.
Throughout his international career from 1974 to 1979, Watanabe participated in various significant tournaments and matches, including:
- 1974 Asian Games
- AFC Asian Cup 1976 qualification
- 1976 Summer Olympics qualification
- Merdeka Tournament (1975, 1979)
- Japan Cup (1979)
- Asahi International Football Tournament (1976)
- Japan-Korea Regular Match (1974, 1979)
3.2. National team statistics
Mitsuo Watanabe played a total of 28 international A-matches for Japan, scoring 4 goals. His overall statistics, including non-A-match appearances such as Olympic qualifiers, are detailed below.
| Japan National Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | International A-matches (Apps) | International A-matches (Goals) | Other Matches (Apps) | Other Matches (Goals) | Total Matches (Apps) | Total Matches (Goals) |
| 1974 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 20 | 2 |
| 1975 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| 1976 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 54 | 5 |
3.3. International goals
Watanabe scored 4 goals in his international A-match career for Japan:
- 1. September 3, 1974, Tehran, Iran vs. Philippines (4-0 win) - 1974 Asian Games
- 2. June 26, 1975, Hong Kong vs. Hong Kong (1-0 win) - AFC Asian Cup 1976 qualification
- 3. August 11, 1975, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia vs. Thailand (4-0 win) - Merdeka Tournament
- 4. August 14, 1975, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia vs. Burma (2-0 win) - Merdeka Tournament
4. Awards and recognition
In 2017, Mitsuo Watanabe was nominated as a candidate for the Japan Football Hall of Fame, recognizing his significant contributions to Japanese football. However, he did not receive the award in that year.