Kensuke Nagai
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kensuke Nagai | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 March 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nagoya Grampus | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Cariru Tênis Clube | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Iseigaoka SSS | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Asakawa Junior High School | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Kyushu IU High School | |||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Fukuoka University | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Avispa Fukuoka | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Vissel Kobe | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Nagoya Grampus | 57 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Standard Liège | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | → Nagoya Grampus (loan) | 42 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Nagoya Grampus | 62 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | FC Tokyo | 179 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Nagoya Grampus | 107 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Japan U-18 | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Japan U-19 | 3 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Japan U-20 | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Japan U-23 | 31 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2019 | Japan | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 November 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kensuke Nagai (永井 謙佑, Nagai Kensuke; born 5 March 1989) is a Japanese football player who plays as a striker for J1 League club Nagoya Grampus.
From the age of 3, Nagai spent five years in Ipatinga, Brazil, where he started playing street football with his childhood friends.[1]
After moving back from Brazil to Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, he played soccer at local elementary and junior high school clubs,[1] before joining the Kyushu International University High School club, where he played two matches in the 85th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.[2]
He joined the Fukuoka University club in April 2007 and won the 33rd Prime Minister's Cup All Japan College Soccer Tournament in 2009.[2]
While playing for the Fukuoka University Club, Nagai also played for Avispa Fukuoka in J. League Division 2 in 2009 and Vissel Kobe in 2010 as a J.League designated special player.[3]
On 23 December 2009, he was named in the squad for Japan's 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification against Yemen,[4] and made his full international debut for the team in the fixture on 6 January 2010.[5]
He was selected as a member of Japanese squad for the 2012 Olympics.[6]
He was transferred from Nagoya to Standard Liège of Belgian Pro League in January 2013, but was loaned back to Nagoya from August 2013 to June 2014, due to limited playing opportunities at Standard Liège. In January 2015, the loan deal was terminated, and Nagai returned to Nagoya on a permanent basis.
