Hajime Moriyasu is the manager of the Japanese national football team who is currently leading the side at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games, find out more about him below and his salary
Moriyasu recently made headlines after a meme showing his picture and comparing him to an anime character went viral online with him labelled as Light Yagami during the 2022 Olympics.
Who is Japan football manager Hajime Moriyasu aka Light Yagami, bio, age, height, family, wife, salary and tactics
A now-viral image of Hajime Moriyasu showing his name as Light Yagami, a character from the Manga ‘Death Note’ started all kinds of discussions online about its authenticity.
Hajime Moriyasu bio
Hajime Moriyasu is a Japanese football manager and former player who was born on August 23, 1968 in Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan. He is currently serving as the manager of the Japan national football team. Throughout his career as a footballer, Hajime made over 250 appearances across 14 years with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, including a year on loan to Kyoto Purple Sanga.
After this, he spent his final season with Vegalta Sendai. He earned 35 caps for the Japan national team and his brother Hiroshi was also a professional footballer.
He earns £910k per year, which is the equivalent of a little more than $1 million.
Age and height
Hajime Moriyasu is currently 55 years old and stands at a height of 1.74 m.
Nationality
Hajime Moriyasu is a Japanese national.
Education
Moriyasu attended Nagasaki Nihon University High School, where he also played for the school football team.
Wife and children
There is currently now information about his wife’s identity, but Hajime Moriyasu has three children named Keigo Moriyasu, Shohei Moriyasu, and Riku Moriyasu. Notably, Keigo played as a striker for Edgeworth FC in the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW in Australia. Meanwhile, his other son, Shohei, also played football professionally for Kamatamare Sanuki in the J2 League.
Career and achievements
Hajime Moriyasu was a professional footballer before he became a full-fledged coach. He joined Japan Soccer League side Mazda in 1987 after finishing his school. After the formation of the J.League in 1993, Mazda got transformed to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Moriyasu continued to play. Alongside Yahiro Kazama, he led the club to winning the second stage of the 1994 J1 League season.
Throughout his career, he mainly played as a midfielder and was capped 35 times between 1992 and 1996. He managed to score one goal for his country, during a friendly against Australia. After his retirement as a player, Hajime Moriyasu served as a coach for Sanfrecce Hiroshima from the 2004 season. Meanwhile, he also served as the coach for the Japan national youth team and led them during the 2006 AFC Youth Championship and the 2007 U-20 World Cup.
He coached the Hiroshima first team from 2007 to 2009 before a year at Albirex Niigata. Moriyasu returned to Sanfrecce Hiroshima as their manager for the 2012 season and won the J1 league title during both the 2012 season and the 2013 season. However, he eventually left the club in July 2017 due to poor results in the league campaign. He then served as the coach of the under-23 national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After serving as an assistant to coach Akira Nishino, the Japan Football Association appointed Hajime Moriyasu as the new coach of the men’s national team in 2018. Notably, Moriyasu led Japan to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Final, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is now leading his men at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Net worth
Hajime Moriyasu has an estimated net worth of around $2 million.