Toshinobu Katsuya

2.1. Birth and childhood

Katsuya was born on September 2, 1961, in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.

2.2. School days

He attended Shimabara Commercial High School (島原商業高校_{Shimabara Shōgyō Kōkō}^Japanese), where he was a notable participant in the National High School Soccer Championship. Following his high school education, Katsuya continued his academic and football pursuits at Osaka University of Commerce.

3.1. Club career

After graduating from university in 1984, Katsuya embarked on his professional football career by joining Honda FC, a team in the Japan Soccer League (JSL). Playing as a center-back, he quickly established himself, earning selection to the JSL Best Eleven in both the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.

In 1991, Katsuya moved to another JSL club, Nissan Motors, which later became Yokohama F. Marinos. He became a regular player for the club. In 1993, he started in the inaugural match of the J.League against Verdy Kawasaki and also featured as a starter in the J.League All-Star Soccer match on July 17 of that year. However, his playing time began to decrease in the latter half of the 1993 season.

In 1994, Katsuya transferred to Júbilo Iwata, a move that reunited him with Hans Ooft, who had previously coached him in the national team. On November 19, 1994, Katsuya scored his first J.League goal during the final match of the season against Kashima Antlers. He was once again selected for the J.League All-Star Soccer in 1994, marking his second consecutive selection, but an injury prevented him from participating. In his final year with Júbilo Iwata in 1997, he primarily played as a substitute, but the team achieved significant success, winning the J.League 2nd stage and ultimately becoming the J.League annual champions.

Katsuya's final club was Cerezo Osaka, which he joined in 1998. He played as a regular at the start of the first stage of the season. However, in the second stage, his appearances became less frequent, and he often found himself on the bench. He made his final professional appearance in the last match of the season against Avispa Fukuoka, coming on as a second-half substitute, before retiring from playing at the end of the 1998 season.

3.2. National team career

Katsuya's international career with the Japan national football team began in September 1985, when he was selected for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC). He made his international A-match debut on September 22, 1985, against Hong Kong. He also participated in the second leg of the final Asian qualifiers against South Korea in 1985, a match Japan lost 0-1, failing to qualify for the World Cup. He continued to represent Japan in the 1986 Asian Games and the final Asian qualifiers for the 1988 Summer Olympics in 1987, where Japan was eliminated by China. Following these campaigns, Katsuya was absent from the national team for five years.

His return to the national squad came in 1992 under new coach Hans Ooft, after Katsuya had demonstrated strong performances with Nissan Motors. He played in the Kirin Cup that year, including a match against Argentina. Katsuya was a key member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup, playing in three matches during the tournament, including the final against Saudi Arabia, contributing to Japan's first title.

In 1993, Katsuya was again called up for the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC). Although primarily a substitute center-back or right-back for the national team, he was unexpectedly deployed as a left-back in the final round due to an injury to Satoshi Tsunami. He started in this unfamiliar position against North Korea in the third match, replacing Yasutoshi Miura, and his stable defensive performance was crucial to Japan's victory. He continued to feature in subsequent matches, including the infamous "Agony of Doha" against Iraq, where he played the full game. This match marked his final appearance for the national team.

Katsuya holds a unique distinction as the only player to have participated in matches across all three final Asian qualification tournaments where Japan reached the final stage but ultimately failed to qualify for the main tournament: the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the 1988 Summer Olympics qualifiers, and the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He earned a total of 27 caps for the Japan national football team between 1985 and 1993.

3.3. Futsal career

In addition to his football career, Katsuya also represented the Japan national futsal team. In 1989, he was selected for the 1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship held in the Netherlands.

6.1. Club statistics

Other official competitions:

• JSL All-Star Soccer: 4 appearances (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991)
• Konica Cup:
  • 1990: 4 appearances, 0 goals
  • 1991: 7 appearances, 0 goals
• Xerox Champions' Cup:
  • 1992: 1 appearance, 0 goals

6.2. National team statistics

Katsuya earned 27 caps for the Japan national football team, without scoring any goals.

International A-Match Appearances:

7.1. Team Honors

• 1992 AFC Asian Cup (Champions)