Wataru Murofushi

Wataru Murofushi (室伏 航, Murofushi Wataru, born 13 June 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for South Korean club Bucheon FC 1995.

Wataru Murofushi
Personal information
Full name Wataru Murofushi
Date of birth (1995-06-13) 13 June 1995
Place of birth Aichi, Japan
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014-2017 Juntendo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Albirex Niigata (S) 22 (9)
2019–2020 York9 30 (3)
2021–2022 Bucheon FC 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 October 2021

Mainly acting as a central midfielder, he can also play in more offensive or more defensive positions of the midfield.[1]

Club career

Albirex Niigata (S)

After graduating from Juntendo University, Murofushi signed for Albirex Niigata Singapore,[2][3] despite he originally intended to go to the United States to take trials.[4]

He debuted in the local Premier League on March 31, 2018, playing the entirety of the match against Tampines Rovers, ended in a 2-1 win for his side. His first goal came on April 14, when he took part in the White Swans' 2-0 win against DPMM, while he scored his first brace on June 3, in another victory (5-0) against the same team. He also scored two consecutive braces in the semi-final and the final of the local cup, eventually won by Albirex.

With a total amount of 28 appearances and 13 goals, Murofushi played a considerable role in the White Swans' brilliant season, which saw his team win all three domestic trophies (the SPL, the Singapore Cup and the Singapore Community Shield) completely unbeaten,[5] while he was awarded as the Player of the Year, as well as nominated by fans for the league's Best XI.[1][6]

York9

On January 22, 2019, Murofushi signed with Canadian side York9 (later renamed York United), which was set to participate in the debut season of the national Premier League.[7][8] He made his debut in the CPL's inaugural match, when York9 played against Forge FC on April 27, 2019,[9] while he scored his first goal for York on August 25, 2019 against FC Edmonton.[10] With a total amount of 23 appearances and three goals, the Japanese was involved in the team's historic first season, ended in sixth place in the Spring round and in third place in the Autumn round. He also played six times in the Canadian Championship, where York reached the third qualifying round before being eliminated by the Montreal Impact after a two-legged tie.

Although the second season of the CPL was postponed and later rescheduled due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] Murofushi was still able to join York for the so-called "Island Games" (as a shortened edition of the CPL was entirely organized in Charlottetown, on the Prince Edward Island)[12][13] and played in all of the seven matches his team was involved in, without scoring a single goal. However, York9 failed to progress to the second round of the competition as they finished in fifth place, just one point behind last-qualified Pacific.[1]

Bucheon

On 9 February 2021, Murofushi signed with South Korean side Bucheon FC 1995, which was set to play in K League 2, for an undisclosed fee.[1][14]

Career statistics
As of 6 September 2020[15]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup Other[lower-alpha 2] Total
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Albirex Niigata (S) 2018 Singapore Premier League 22954—102813
Total 2295400102813
York9 2019 Canadian Premier League 23360—00293
2020 Canadian Premier League 70——0070
Total 303600000363
Bucheon FC 1995 2021 K League 2 0000—0000
Total 0000000000
Career total 521211400106416
  1. Includes the Singapore Cup and Canadian Championship.
  2. Includes the Singapore Community Shield.

Honours

Albirex Niigata (S)

Individual

References
  1. Slade, George. "Bucheon Transfer - Wataru Murofushi". K League United | South Korean football news, opinions, match previews and score predictions. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  2. "Wataru the new captain for 2018".
  3. "Wataru MUROFUSHI (Juntendo University) joins White Swans for 2018 season".
  4. 日本人選手として初めてゴールを上げる大快挙！カナダプレミアリーグ York9で活躍する室伏航選手インタビュー｜カナダで活躍する日本人 torja.ca
  5. "How Japanese club Albirex Niigata scored big in Singapore soccer". South China Morning Post. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  6. "FAS Nite 2018 recognises season's best - Football Association of Singapore". Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. Nate Hershenfeld (22 January 2019). "York9 FC signs Japanese midfielder Wataru Murofushi from Albirex Niigata Singapore FC". York 9 FC. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  8. "Canadian Premier League announces unique format ahead of inaugural season". 900 CHML. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  9. Davidson, Neil (27 April 2019). "Forge FC, York9 FC tie in Canadian Premier League's entertaining opener".
  10. "HIGHLIGHTS: Ryan Telfer's 85th minute equalizer splits points at FC Edmonton". 25 August 2019.
  11. "Canadian Premier League Commissioner Statement: Start of season postponed". Canadian Premier League. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  12. "Canadian Premier League's Island Games: Everything you need to know - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  13. "P.E.I. to host Canadian pro soccer league season starting Aug. 13 | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  14. John Jacques (9 February 2021). "Bucheon FC Signs Former York United Midfielder Wataru Murofushi". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  15. "W. Murofushi". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
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