Albirex Niigata have announced that midfielder Yoshiaki Takagi, who was with the club until 2025, will retire from professional football.
Takagi was promoted to Tokyo Verdy's first team from the club's youth academy in 2010 before joining Dutch side FC Utrecht in 2011. He joined Shimizu S-Pulse in 2014 and returned to Tokyo Verdy in 2015. He then joined Niigata in 2018 and played for BG Pathum United FC in Thailand last season.
Across 14 seasons in the J.League, Takagi made 70 J1 appearances, scoring three goals, and 309 J2 appearances, scoring 44 goals.
Takagi commented through the club:
“I have decided to retire from professional football. I love football, but as a player I feel at peace, knowing that I gave everything I had. I am who I am today thanks to everyone who has been part of my journey, and I am truly grateful to have had a football career blessed with so many wonderful encounters.
“Tokyo Verdy are where my roots lie. Even after I left the club, the supporters continued to back me as a product of the academy, and I was truly grateful for that. At Shimizu S-Pulse, I still regret that I was unable to contribute more to the team, and I sometimes ask myself whether I could have done more during my time there. Even so, the incredible support of the fans remains firmly etched in my memory.
“And to everyone connected with Albirex Niigata: since joining in 2018, we went through difficult times together in J2 before eventually achieving promotion to J1. Looking back, I feel I was fighting not just for the club, but for the whole Niigata region, and I always felt that I was out there on the pitch together with the supporters. Even when I suffered a serious injury, your support gave me the strength to keep working towards my return. I am filled with gratitude. Thank you once again.
“I was also happy to see my wife, who initially knew nothing about football, become so interested that she began going to matches herself. I hope my two children, who both play sport, will remember seeing me as a professional footballer. As their father, I hope they can take something from the way I lived through football and carry it with them in their own lives.
“I have been truly happy to be able to play football for so long. Thank you very much.”
A retirement ceremony will be held before the MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE Matchweek 6 fixture against Montedio Yamagata at DENKA BIG SWAN STADIUM on 13 September.
