Junichi Inamoto

Gamba Osaka

Inamoto was born in the town of Kurino (now Yūsui) in Kagoshima Prefecture and raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, where his family moved two months after his birth. He played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during his last year of high school, signing with the club in 1997. In April of that year, at the age of 17, he made his debut in the 1997 J.League season, making him the youngest player in the J.League (at that time). He played for Gamba until summer 2001 and played 118 matches in the J1 League.

Loan to Arsenal

Inamoto was then one of many high-profile transfers of Asian players to Europe, signing with Arsenal of the English Premier League. Inamoto scored two goals for the Japan national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but had already been released by Arsenal shortly before the tournament began.

Loan to Fulham

Inamoto was then signed by Fulham on a long-term loan deal from Gamba Osaka. Initially he settled well at the London club, garnering good notices as a tough-tackling midfielder with an eye for a spectacular goal. He became a fan favourite quickly, scoring four goals over the two legs of Fulham's 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup final win against Bologna, scoring once in the first leg and a hat trick in the second. Other notable goals he scored in his time for Fulham include goals against Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and also in the 3–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2003. He also scored…

In August 1995, Inamoto was selected for Japan U17 for the 1995 U-17 World Championship. He played all three matches. In April 1999, he was selected for Japan U20 for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. At this tournament, he played three matches as Japan finished second. On 5 February 2000, Inamoto debuted for the senior Japan national team under manager Philippe Troussier against Mexico. After his debut, Inamoto played ten matches or more every year under Troussier. In September 2000, Inamoto was selected for Japan U23 for 2000 Summer Olympics. He played the full game in all four matches and scored a goal against Slovakia. In 2000, Inamoto played at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. He played four matches as Japan won the championship. In 2001, he also played at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played four matches as Japan finished second. In 2002, he was selected by Japan for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played all four matches and scored two goals against Belgium in the first match and Russia in the second match. Japan qualified for the knockout stage for the first time in their history. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Inamoto played at the 2003 and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. In 2006, he was selected by Japan for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played two matches as Japan was eliminated at the group stage. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, due to generational change, Inamoto was not selected for Japan again until June 2007. After that, he played several matches every year.…

Club

As of 14 October 2022

International

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Inamoto goal.

Fulham

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002 Hokkaido Consodale Sapporo

J2 League: 2016 Japan U17

AFC U-17 Championship: 1994 Japan U20

FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1999 Japan

AFC Asian Cup: 2000 FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2001 Individual

J.League Best Eleven: 2000