Akira Matsunaga (footballer, born 1914)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Akira Matsunaga | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1914 | ||
| Place of birth |
Yaizu, Shizuoka, Empire of Japan | ||
| Date of death | 20 January 1943 (aged 28) | ||
| Place of death | Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Shida High School | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1935–1937 | Tokyo Liberal Arts and Science University | ||
| International career | |||
| 1936 | Japan | 2 | (1) |
Akira Matsunaga (松永 行, Matsunaga Akira, 21 September 1914 – 20 January 1943) was a Japanese footballer. He played for the Japan national team. His brother Nobuo Matsunaga and Seki Matsunaga also played for the Japan national team.
National team career
| Miracle of Berlin ( Sweden on 4 August)
|
In 1936, when he was a
Sweden. Japan completed a come-from-behind victory against Sweden. The first victory in Olympics for the Japan and the historic victory over one of the powerhouses became later known as "Miracle of Berlin" (ベルリンの奇跡) in Japan. In 2016, this team was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame. On 7 August, he also played against Italy. He played 2 games and scored 1 goal for Japan in 1936.[2]
Death
In 1937, Matsunaga entered the
Guadalcanal Campaign at the age of 28.[5]
National team statistics
| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
1936 |
2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 |
References
- ^ "Akira Matsunaga". Olympedia. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ a b Japan National Football Team Database
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200417073130/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/akira-matsunaga-1.html Akira Matsunaga
- ^ "ガダルカナル奪回作戦・陸軍の部隊編成表". geocities.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
External links
- Akira Matsunaga – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Akira Matsunaga at National-Football-Teams.com
- Japan National Football Team Database
- Japan Football Hall of Fame (Japan team at 1936 Olympics) at Japan Football Association
- Sports-Reference
