Shigeki Kurata

Kurata was born in Joyo on June 22, 1972. After graduating from Juntendo University, he joined the newly promoted J1 League club, Cerezo Osaka in 1995. He played in many matches as a center back starting with his first season and became a regular player in 1999. Although he did not play as much in 2001, the club won second place in the 2001 Emperor's Cup. In 2002, he moved to the J2 League club Avispa Fukuoka. He played in many matches as a center back over three seasons and then retired at the end of the 2004 season.