Goal.com World Player Of The Week: Shinji Okazaki - Shimizu S-Pulse & Japan

Goal.com's World Player of the Week has propelled his country to the World Cup finals...

Jun 8, 2009 1:40:40 PM

More On :  Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, FC Seoul, Japan, Manchester City FC, Netherlands, South Korea, Sung-Yueng KI, Moumouni Dagano, Shinji Okazaki, Nigel De Jong, Celso Borges
Welcome to Goal.com's new feature: Goal.com World Player of the Week. Each week our worldwide team of editors will put forward a selected candidate, as chosen by Goal.com International, who deserves recognition for achieving something special that matchday. It won't necessarily be the best player in the world - at least not usually - but whoever we nominate will have done something amazing. It might be for a particularly awesome performance or for something praiseworthy off the pitch - either way, the person in question deserves special attention...
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Goal.com World Player of the Week #4: SHINJI OKAZAKI
Club: Shimizu S-Pulse
Age: 23
Role: Striker
Achievement: Netting the goal that sent Japan to the World Cup 2010 finals in South Africa.

A young, relatively unknown striker is this week's Goal.com World Player of the Week after scoring an international goal of uncommon importance.

The right-footed forward only made his debut for the national team in 2008, traveling to the Beijing Olympics with Japan after another impressive campaign with Shimizu S-Pulse.

Now that he's settled into the side, he's become a key goalscorer for Japan, netting seven goals in twelve games.

And how important that seventh was. Facing Uzbekistan on Saturday, the diminutive striker headed home on the rebound after being put through by Kengo Nakamura.

Speaking to the Japan Times after the game, the forward was in bullish mood. "I want to target the World Cup semifinals and raise my game. This isn't the end, it is just the beginning. I'm just pleased we were able to get through the qualifiers."

The semi-finals are a high target to aim for, but there's no point in shooting low after you've just propelled the Blue Samurais to yet another World Cup...

Congratulations to Shinji Okazaki, our fourth Goal.com World Player of the Week!



Honourable Mentions...
  1. Celso Borges (Fredrikstad FK, Norway - Costa Rica) - The 20-year old hotshot scored the crucial second goal versus the USA on Wednesday, propelling the small Central American nation past one of the region's top teams. Only a few days later, Borges banged in two goals in a tough away match versus Trinidad and Tobago to send Costa Rica to the top of the leaderboard in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying.
  2. Nigel de Jong (Manchester City, England - Netherlands) - The Man City ace scored his first goal for the Netherlands in the World Cup qualifier against Iceland. Thanks to his goal the Oranje won 1-2 and became the first European side to qualify for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.. Together with Mark van Bommel, De Jong formed a good midfield against Iceland and are a 'spine' worth watching.
  3. Moumouni Dagano (Al-Khor, Qatar - Burkina Faso) - This Burkinabe forward is the toast of his country after his goal in Burkina Faso's 1-0 away win over Malawi allowed his team to keep pace with the powerhouse of Ivory Coast with six points in Group 5 of World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifying. Dagano confirmed his status as a dangerous striker, adding this crucial goal to the two he scored in the March qualifier against Guinea in Burkina Faso's 4-2 victory. This means that at the moment, with 10 goals scored so far during the entire joint qualifiers, he's four goals ahead of his competitors and the lead scorer of the African qualifiers.
  4. Ki Sung-Yong (FC Seoul, South Korea) - The Korean Gerrard is at it again. The key midfielder of the South Korean side dominated World cup qualifier game against UAE, showing several fantastic passes and a great deal of sharp shooting. Furthermore, he led South Korea to their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance with a goal following an error from the UAE 'keeper, Majed Nasser.
Leave your notes of congratulations for Shinji below, or discuss who else deserves a place in the sun this week...
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