Naoyuki Yamazaki
Japanese footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naoyuki Yamazaki (山崎 直之, Yamazaki Naoyuki; born 5 May 1991) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Taiwan Football Premier League club AC Taipei.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 May 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Nishitōkyō, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AC Taipei | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Izumi FC | |||
| 2004–2009 | FC Tokyo | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2013 | Tokyo Gakugei University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | Azul Claro Numazu | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | HBO Tokyo | ||
| 2016–2017 | Telstar | 25 | (3) |
| 2018 | IF Gnistan | 10 | (4) |
| 2019 | PEPO | 10 | (0) |
| 2021 | Taichung Futuro | ||
| 2022–2024 | Leopard Cat | ||
| 2025– | AC Taipei | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
In 2009, while Yamazaki was an under-18 player at FC Tokyo, the club told him his chances of being promoted to the first team were slim and Yamazaki enrolled at Tokyo Gakugei University.[2] In his first year he was leading goalscorer of the team and was named Rookie of the Year.[2] The following year, he contributed to the side's promotion to the first division.[2]
Yamazaki was not signed by a professional club and in 2014 moved to Japan Football League club Azul Claro Numazu.[2]
Yamazaki became a professional at the age of 25 when he joined Dutch club SC Telstar, playing in the Eerste Divisie.[2] He made his debut in the league on 9 September 2016 in a game against De Graafschap.[3] In January 2017 it was reported that Telstar would likely not be able to afford his salary the following season due to rules involving minimum salaries for footballers from countries outside the European Union.[4] Yamazaki scored three goals from March until the end of the season and made 24 appearances.[2]
Yamazaki signed a contract until end of the season with Finnish third-tier club IF Gnistan in July 2018.[5]
