Tatsuya Okamoto
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 19, 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Shizuoka, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Criacao Shinjuku | ||
| Number | 50 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Júbilo Iwata | ||
| 2007–2010 | Juntendo University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Júbilo Iwata | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Mito HollyHock | 42 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | Gainare Tottori | 53 | (8) |
| 2015- | Criacao Shinjuku | 49 | (19) |
| Total | 144 | (38) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Tatsuya Okamoto (岡本 達也, Okamoto Tatsuya; born September 19, 1986) is a Japanese professional footballer who played as a forward. He is known for being a football player with three separate periods of professional career.
Career
Júbilo Iwata
Okamoto studied at Iwata Minami High School, a public school known for its academic excellence. He trained at the youth team of Júbilo Iwata for three years. After high school graduation, he became a professional player for Iwata in 2005. However, he was unable to secure a position at the team and left in 2006.[1]
Juntendo University
In December 2006, Okamoto returned to Iwata Minami High School, and asked the teachers for help in study. He applied to Juntendo University's Faculty of Sports and Health Science, and was accepted after spending only two months of studying for the entrance exam.[2]
Okamoto made an immediate impact as a first-year student in the university's football team, earning the "Rookie of the Year" award in the Kanto University League." In the Emperor's Cup, where they progressed to the fourth round, he faced his former team, Jubilo Iwata. Although they lost 6-1, he scored a goal in the 23rd minute of the first half, which temporarily equalized the score. It was during this time that he wanted to become a professional footballer again.[2]
Second professional career
In 2011, Okamoto joined the Mito HollyHock after graduation from Juntendo University. This is his second professional career. In 2013, he transferred to Gainare Tottori.[3] In his second year with Tottori, he was appointed captain of the team that had been relegated to J3 League, but he was unable to lead them back to promotion. In 2015, he announced his retirement at the age of 27.[4][5] During this period of time, he also worked as the vice president of Japan Pro-Footballers Association.[6][7]
Criacao Shinjuku and third professional career
However, Okamoto's football career did not end. He joined Criacao Shinjuku, a regional team playing in the Kantō Soccer League in 2015. Since Okamoto has a teacher's license, he worked as a career consultant[8] for university students while playing for the team.[7] In 2017, Okamoto was appointed the general manager of Criacao Shinjuku while continuing to play for the club.[9]
In 2021, Okamoto led Criacao Shinjuku to the promotion to Japan Football League (JFL), the fourth division with mostly professional teams. This is considered a great achievement for an amateur team.[10][11][12]
In 2023, Criacao Shinjuku was promoted to J3 League. Since J3 is considered a professional league, this means Okamoto, at the age of 36, became a professional footballer for a third time. The team also won in the qualifier of Emperor's Cup, with Okamoto scoring the decisive goal.[13] This earned him media attention. In a featured article in 2024, Mainichi Shimbun described him as "the loser who stayed till the end".[14]
In an interview in September 2025, Okamoto expressed his view on football, saying that modern football is too systematic and he believes giving player agency can lead to better results.[15]
Personal life
Okamoto is from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Júbilo Iwata | 2004 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Mito HollyHock | 2011 | J2 League | ||||||||||
| Career total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ "サッカー - 3度目のJリーガーへ、18歳磐田から始まった挑戦 クリアソン新宿FW岡本達也1 | 4years. #学生スポーツ". 4years (in Japanese). 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ a b "サッカー - 3度目のJリーガーへ、順天堂大の経験が今に生きる クリアソン新宿FW岡本達也2 | 4years. #学生スポーツ". 4years (in Japanese). 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "[鳥取]満足しない岡本達也「決めて、スタメンを取って、常に試合に出たい」". BLOGOLA (in Japanese). 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "昨季J3で30試合に出場、岡本達也が現役引退". ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Co.,Ltd, livedoor (2015-02-14). "鳥取FW岡本達也が現役引退「前向きにチャレンジしていきます！」". サッカーキング (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Co.,Ltd, livedoor (2014-12-01). "岡本達也選手が語る『JPFAチャリティーサッカー2014』への想い「みんなの力を集めて復興の後押しができたら」". サッカーキング (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ a b "サッカー - 3度目のJリーガーへ、仕事もサッカーも本気だから クリアソン新宿FW岡本達也3 | 4years. #学生スポーツ". 4years (in Japanese). 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ 中村裕 (2021-06-03). "VUCA時代にプロフェッショナルとしてのあり方や本質を学ぶ ― トップアスリート研修インタビュー（前編） ―". キャリアのこれから研究所. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "2017年新体制 │ Criacao Shinjuku Official Site" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "社員兼選手でＪＦＬ昇格を決めた・・・ＪＦＬクリアソン新宿 ・岡本達也は「今が何よりもハッピー」なシズオカビト". スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "怒涛の11連勝で大逆転優勝「クリアソン新宿」の正体とは？ 難敵を次々と味方につける"週刊少年ジャンプ"のような快進撃（飯尾篤史）". Number Web - ナンバー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "２４年ぶりに再会したサッカー少年と山を走る夢 Ｊリーグ昇格を目指すＪＦＬクリアソン新宿の岡本達也". スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "JFLクリアソン新宿が明大破り初のサッカー天皇杯東京都代表に 岡本達也の前半10分のゴール守り切る：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ". 中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "football life：Jリーガー同期で最初にクビ 「負け組」の僕が最後まで残った理由". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ "ゆずれないもの～クリアソン10年、岡本達也が語るシーズン半ばのキャプテン就任". スポーツナビ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-21.