Tributes to legendary Japan striker hailed by Pele
Kamamoto, who scored 75 goals in 76 appearances for Japan, died on Sunday of pneumonia.
"Mr. Kamamoto was truly an unparalleled striker," Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said in a statement.
The Kyoto native is best remembered for his exploits at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, where he was the top scorer with seven goals and led Japan to the bronze medal.
With stamina, agility and physical strength, Kamamoto was first called up to the national squad aged 19.
In 1967 he joined Yanmar Diesel, now Cerezo Osaka, plundering 202 goals in 251 games until his retirement in 1984.
During the final years of his playing career he also worked as Yanmar's manager.
After football Kamamoto shifted to politics, becoming an upper house lawmaker in 1995.
He also worked on Japan's bid to host the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted with South Korea.
Current Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said Kamamoto "gave us a ray of hope that Japanese football can compete on the international stage", according to Kyodo News.
"I'm hoping for a player who could eventually eclipse Mr. Kamamoto to emerge," he added.
Kazuyoshi Miura, the former Japan international forward who is still playing aged 58, said Brazilian legend Pele had called Kamamoto "a great striker."
Pele played in Kamamoto's retirement match, Kyodo said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Everton agree season-long loan for Man City's Grealish
Jack Grealish is in urgent need of game time ahead of next year's World Cup. (EPA Images pic) LONDON : Everton have agreed a season-long loan deal for Manchester City's England midfielder Jack Grealish, Sky Sports television reported today. The 29-year-old joined City from Aston Villa for £100 million in 2021 but has fallen out of favour there and is in urgent need of game time ahead of next year's World Cup. Grealish made only seven league starts last season and was not included in City's recent Club World Cup squad. He was also omitted from England's 2024 European Championship squad. There was no immediate word from either club and the BBC cited sources saying a deal was not yet imminent although talks were progressing.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Tributes pour in for legendary Japan striker hailed by Pele
Kunishige Kamamoto (centre) was the top scorer at the 1968 Olympics with seven goals. (Jiji Press/AFP pic) TOKYO : Japanese football has paid tribute to Kunishige Kamamoto after the country's most prolific striker died aged 81. Kamamoto, who scored 75 goals in 76 appearances for Japan, died yesterday of pneumonia. 'Mr Kamamoto was truly an unparalleled striker,' Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said in a statement. The Kyoto native is best remembered for his exploits at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, where he was the top scorer with seven goals and led Japan to the bronze medal. With stamina, agility and physical strength, Kamamoto was first called up to the national squad aged 19. In 1967 he joined Yanmar Diesel, now Cerezo Osaka, plundering 202 goals in 251 games until his retirement in 1984. During the final years of his playing career he also worked as Yanmar's manager. After football Kamamoto shifted to politics, becoming an upper house lawmaker in 1995. He also worked on Japan's bid to host the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted with South Korea. Current Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said Kamamoto 'gave us a ray of hope that Japanese football can compete on the international stage', according to Kyodo News. 'I'm hoping for a player who could eventually eclipse Mr Kamamoto to emerge,' he added. Kazuyoshi Miura, the former Japan international forward who is still playing aged 58, said Brazilian legend Pele had called Kamamoto 'a great striker'. Pele played in Kamamoto's retirement match, Kyodo said. 'When I heard King Pele call him a 'great striker', I was really proud as a Japanese, and I can still remember that now,' said Miura, who is second in Japan's list of all-time scorers.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Poland manager says Lewandowski wants to return to national team
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Athletic Bilbao v FC Barcelona - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - May 25, 2025 FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scores their first goal REUTERS/Pankra Nieto/File Photo WARSAW (Reuters) -Robert Lewandowski wants to play for his country again, Poland manager Jan Urban said on Tuesday, after the Barcelona striker quit the national team amid a row over the previous coach's decision to replace him as captain. Urban was named in July to replace Michal Probierz, who resigned in June amid the spat over his decision to take the captain's armband away from Poland's all-time top scorer and hand it to Inter Milan's Piotr Zielinski. Poland sit third in their World Cup qualifying group behind Finland and the Netherlands and Lewandowski is widely seen as vital to their hopes of reaching next year's tournament. "I spoke with Robert Lewandowski by phone and asked if he wanted to come back," Urban told private broadcaster RMF FM. "He said yes. So we've taken a step forward." Asked whether Lewandowski would become captain again, Urban said discussions on the topic were ongoing. "I wouldn't just like to talk to Robert, but also to those involved - Piotr Zielinski and the players on the team council. The decision will be mine, but I'd like to listen to the players and find out what they think." Poland's next World Cup qualifier is against the Netherlands away on September 4 before they host Finland three days later. Lewandowski, 36, has scored 85 goals in 158 appearances for Poland. (Reporting by Alan CharlishEditing by Christian Radnedge)
