Former Bundesliga professional Shinji Okazaki is ending his active career at the end of the current season. The 37-year-old Japanese announced this in a press release from his current club VV St. Truiden. The center forward, who played for Mainz 05 and VfB Stuttgart in Germany and won the English championship with Leicester City in 2016, had already missed twelve games in Belgium this season due to knee injuries.
Okazaki to Rode: These players will end their professional careers in 2024
Shinji Okazaki (at the end of the season; last club: VV St. Truiden)
About Rode’s performance data – most games for: Eintracht Frankfurt (268 so far); highest market value: 10 million euros
Stops in summer
“I would like to be open about this decision with everyone who has always supported me. That’s why I’m announcing it now. I would be happy to provide further explanations at the end of the season. Until then, I will concentrate 100 percent on football,” said Okazaki. St. Truiden’s sporting director André Pinto added: “Within our club, Shinji is an experienced leader and role model for professionalism who our young talents emulate. We respect his decision and hope he can finish this season well.”
The 119-time national player Okazaki, who is one of the record players in his home country, began his time in Europe in Stuttgart in 2011, where he moved on a free transfer from Shimizu S-Pulse. Two years later, the right-footer joined Mainz 05 for a fee of 1.5 million euros, which in turn transferred him to the “Foxes” in England two years later for 11 million euros. To date, these were the only transfers of his career that were subject to a transfer fee. Okazaki’s highest market value, which was valued at 10 million euros in 2016, also dates back to his time on the island (see history).
Between 2019 and 2022, the professional played in Spain for FC Málaga, SD Huesca and FC Cartagena before moving to Belgium. Okazaki played the most games in the Bundesliga (128) as well as in the J1 League (121) and the Premier League (114) – Okazaki’s performance data can be found in detail here.
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