Ozu Moreira
![]() Ozu playing at the 2021 World Cup. | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Osmar Shigeru Moreira | ||
Date of birth | 21 January 1986 | ||
Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
International career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013– | Japan | ||
Managerial career | |||
2020–2022 | Japan |
Osmar Shigeru "Ozu" Moreira (茂怜羅 オズ, Shigeru Ozu) (born 21 January 1986) is a beach soccer player who plays as a defender.
Born in Brazil, he is the captain and head coach of the Japan national team, having gained Japanese citizenship in 2012.[1] He has won the Silver and Golden Balls at FIFA World Cups[2][3] and is known as one of the best defenders in beach soccer history.[4][5] He is particularly known for his towering presence and powerful long-range free kicks.[2][6][7] In 2019, he became the first Japanese player to score over 100 international goals.[7]
Biography
Early life
Ozu was born in
Japanese citizenship
Ozu has stated that he never had the ambition to play for the Brazil national team. Instead, his dream was to live abroad, learn about a new culture and compete as a beach soccer player there.[7]
In 2006, he moved to
International career
At his first international tournament, the 2013 AFC Beach Soccer Championship, he was crowned best player[2] and later in the year led his new country as captain to the quarter-finals of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, his first World Cup, in which he won the Silver Ball (second best player) award.[9] The inaugural Beach Soccer Stars awards in 2014 saw Ozu named as part of the best team of the year, an accomplishment he has achieved again every since bar one as of 2022,[10] the most appearances of any player, cementing his position as one of the world's best.
In 2015, Ozu was once again named best player at the
In July 2020, Ozu was named as the new head coach of the Japan national team, making him a
Statistics
Note: Some of the sources of these statistics may have counted an appearance when the player was actually an unused substitute.
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Honours
The following is a selection, not an exhaustive list, of the major international honours Ozu has achieved:
Team
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Individual
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 師はラモス瑠偉。W杯3回出場の 茂怜羅オズはなぜ日本を選んだのか. Sportiva. 8 March 2019. (in Japanese).
- ^ a b c d Ozu Moreira: Asian game has more depth than ever. Asian Football Confederation. 9 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Japan Beach Soccer National Team's MOREIRA Ozu named as the Best Five of the World at the Beach Soccer Stars 2019. Japan Football Association. 16 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d リオ生まれの日本代表キャプテン、ビーチサッカー・茂怜羅オズとは何者か. Sportiva. 4 December 2016. (in Japanese).
- ^ a b Ozu, um 'samurai' de Copacabana que sonha ser campeão mundial, SAPO, 8 July 2015 (in Portuguese).
- ^ a b c d e f Ozu: "I want to take Japan to a World Cup title". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 10 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ozu: I turned down Brazil because I fell in love with Japan. FIFA.com. 31 October 2019.
- ^ Ozu Moreira. Polyvalent. (in Japanese).
- ^ And the winners are.... FIFA.com. 29 September 2013.
- ^ "ビーチサッカー日本代表 茂怜羅オズ監督兼選手、通算7回目の世界年間ベスト5に選出" [Japan Beach Soccer National Team coach and player Oz Morira selected as one of the top five in the world for the 7th time in total]. Japan Football Association (in Japanese). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Ozu opens beach soccer school for children. Beach Soccer Worldwide. 8 April 2015.
- ^ Ozu Moreira è un giocatore del Viareggio Beach Soccer.. Viareggio Beach Soccer. 15 April 2016.
- ^ バルサで世界一になったサッカー選手。 茂怜羅オズは大志を抱く. Sportiva. 20 March 2019. (in Japanese).
- ^ Ozu Moreira: A 'Teacher of Dreams' in Japan. Beach Soccer Worldwide. 9 October 2017.
- ^ Outstanding Ozu claims MVP and top scorer awards. Asian Football Confederation. 17 March 2019.
- ^ Swiss and UAE share 19 goals on day 1 in Qatar. Beach Soccer Worldwide. 11 October 2019.
- ^ Russia comeback denies Japan bronze finish, Ozu wins Golden Ball. Asian Football Confederation. 2 December 2019.
- ^ Ozu officially introduced as new Japan coach. FIFA. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "We want to win, says Japan's Ozu Moreira". Asian Football Confederation. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Interview with Teruki Tabata and Ozu Moreira". FIFA Training Centre. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ ""Gave us confidence that we could win when it matters" Interview with Player-Coach MOREIRA Ozu of Japan Beach Soccer National Team". Japan Football Association (in Japanese). 24 September 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Ozu, Clark win Best Player awards at Beach Soccer Stars in Dubai". Khaleej Times. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Brasileiro Catarino entra na seleção dos melhores do mundo no futebol de areia". O Globo (in Portuguese). 9 November 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "ビーチサッカー日本代表選手の自主待機期間中の行動に対しての処遇について" [Regarding the treatment of Japanese national beach soccer players for their actions during the voluntary waiting period]. Tokyo Verdy (in Japanese). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
External links
- Ozu Moreira, profile at Beach Soccer Worldwide
- Moreira Ozu, profile at Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
- Ozu Moreira, profile at Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian)
- Ozu Moreira, profile at ZeroZero.pt (in Portuguese)