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3d ago

Kunishige Kamamoto, Japan’s All-Time Leading Striker, Dies at 81

Japan Football Association leaders have hailed him as an unparalleled pioneer following his death from pneumonia.

FILE - Japan's Kunishige Kamamoto scores a goal against the Mexican team at Mexico's Azteca Stadium on Oct. 24, 1968. (AP Photo, file)
Image
Kunishige Kamamoto (C, #18), in a friendly following his retirement

Overview

  • He scored seven goals as the top scorer at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, securing Japan’s first-ever soccer medal with a bronze finish.
  • He holds national team records with 75 goals in 76 appearances and amassed a JSL-record 202 goals in 251 matches over 17 seasons.
  • After retiring in 1984, he coached in the J.League, served as vice president of the Japan Football Association and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005.
  • He represented the Liberal Democratic Party in the Upper House from 1995 to 2001, bringing a sports perspective to national policymaking.
  • Tributes poured in from figures such as JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, national coach Hajime Moriyasu and Brazilian legend Pelé, who called him “a great striker.”