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14 Kazuyuki Toda
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| Position:Midfielder
| | Born: 30-Dec-1977
| | Height/Weight: 178/68
| | Birthplace: Tokyo |
| Previous Teams:FC Machida; Toin Gakuen HS, Shimizu S-Pulse, Tottenham Hotspur (England), FC Den Haag (Netherlands), Shimizu S-Pulse, Tokyo Verdy, Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
| Matches (J1/J2): 259/0 | Goals:4/0 |
| First Appearance:27-Apr-1996 Shimizu S-Pulse -vs- Jubilo Iwata (at Nihondaira Stadium) |
| First Goal :05-Apr-2000 Shimizu S-Pulse -vs- Kashima Antlers (at Nihondaira Stadium) |
| Year | Team | Appearances | Goals |
|---|
| 1996 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 5 | 0 |
| 1997 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 20 | 0 |
| 1998 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 34 | 0 |
| 1999 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 28 | 0 |
| 2000 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 27 | 1 |
| 2001 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 27 | 0 |
| 2002 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 22 | 1 |
| 2002/03- | Tottenham Hotspur | -- | -- |
| -2003 | ADO Den Haag | -- | -- |
| 2004 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 12 | 0 |
| 2005 | Tokyo Verdy | 23 | 0 |
| 2006 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 30 | 0 |
| 2007 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 31 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 259 | 4 |
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Kazuyuki Toda is one of the most "colourful" players in the Japan national team. Known for his physical play, his aggressive attitude and his "flavour of the week" hairstyle, Toda has been livening up the J.League since he joined Shimizu S-Pulse from Toin Gakuen High School, a perrennial Kanto-area high school power. Though no one would describe him as one of the more technically gifted players on Japan's national team, he has a tough, physical style that has served both himself and the teams he plays for quite well, over the years.
Toda entered the league as a defender, but in part because his club team, S-Pulse, had a large group of quality defenders already, and in part because of his good mobility and desire for the ball, he was eventually moved to the volante spot. Phillippe Troussier, likewise, experimented with him in the back line but soon viewed him as a favourite man in the defensive pivot, where he could use his physical strfength to break up opposing attacks, but would not be punished as severely for his tendency to overcommit. Toda became a regular in defensive midfield for Japan, under Troussier. Remarkably, he has managed to avoid picking up many red cards in international play, but that seems to be largely due to luck. According to a reporter who followed him to England in January 2003, he was sent off the pitch midway through his first practice match with the Sunderland reserves, while undergoing a tryout. An assistant coach commented, "we dont hand out red cards during practice, but he was getting a bit carried away . . . " Although there are probably a dozen more technically skilled players at the position in the J.League, few can match Toda for ferocity and flair.
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Of course, "flair" is always the key word with the player whose hairstyles became a topic of intense interest in Shimizu, and nationwide. He is best known internationally for the red rooster-crest mohawk he sported during the 2002 world cup, but he has been through more unique "dos" than an avant-gard fashion model. Thus, it came as no surprise to Japanese fans when his move to the Premiership stirred up a bit of dust. Toda traveled to Sunderland in January 2002 to train with the club and discuss a possible transfer. Sunderland apparently were interested in Toda, but simply didnt have the budget to meet Shimizu S-Pulse's financial demands. In the middle of the night (according to one report), Toda suddenly travelled to White Hart Lane for a meeting with the staff of Tottenham Hotspur. Faxes were exchanged between London and Shimizu, and by the time dawn broke in England, Toda was being introduced to the media by Glenn Hoddle.
Not surprisingly, Toda was unable to break into the lineup at Tottenham. Though touted as a "tough guy" to the British press, Toda is only a physical player in comparison with J.League standards. Moreover, he has never been viewed as one of Japan's most talented players, skillwise, and was dropped from the national team since Zico took over the helm. After a year of disappointment, Tottenham cut Toda loose, and he was forced to go in search of a new home. Eventually, he managed to work out a deal under which S-Pulse re-signed him, and immediately sent him on a one-year loan to Dutch club Den Haag. Toda was a bit more successful in Holland than in England, but den Haag failed to stay up in the top division, and Toda was released as soon as the club was relegated, in June 2004. By late summer of that year, Toda was back at Shimizu S-Pulse, doing his best to mend fences. |
After just six months at his old club, Toda was forced to move on once again. Clearly it was hard on both player and club to try to ignore all the water that had passed under the bridge. FIrst he moved to Tokyo Verdy, rejoining his old mentor Ossie Ardilles. But when Ardilles left and that club was relegated at the end of 2005, he moved on to Hiroshima, where he has been making an unusually effective bid to stay out of the headlines and just "do his job".
As the years pass him by, Toda seems to be accepting his role as a veteran journeyman whose ten minutes of stardom were closer to "burlesque" than to "Broadway". Though nobody ever mentions him anymore when discussing potential NT candidates, Toda can still "mix it up" wiith the best, and he seems to be viewed by Sanfrecce as a valuable team player. That may be the role that he was best suited for, to begin with. We can only wish him luck now that he seems to have found his niche.
National Team Data & History |
 | NT Caps: 19 |
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| NT Goals: 2 |
Tournaments:
Confederations Cup (2001)
World Cup Korea/Japan (2002) |
| | Date | Vs. | Score | Location | Status | Min. | G |
|---|
| 5-31-2001 | Canada | 3-0 | Niigata Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-2-2001 | Cameroon | 2-0 | Niigata Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-4-2001 | Brazil | 3-0 | Kashima Stadium | U.R. | -- | -- |
| 6-7-2001 | Australia | 1-0 | Yokohama Int'l | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-10-2001 | France | 0-1 | Yokohama Int'l | U.R. | -- | -- |
| 7-1-2001 | Paraguay | 1-0 | Sapporo Dome | Start | 87 | 0 |
| 7-4-2001 | Yugoslavia | 1-0 | Oita "Big Eye" | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 8-15-2001 | Australia | 3-0 | Shizuoka Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-4-2001 | Senegal | 0-2 | Lens, France | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-4-2001 | Nigeria | 2-2 | Southampton, England | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 11-7-2001 | Italy | 1-1 | Saitama Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 3-21-2002 | Ukraine | 1-0 | Nagai Stadium | Start | 90 | 1 |
| 3-27-2002 | Poland | 1-0 | Lodz, Poland | Start | 79 | 0 |
| 4-17-2002 | Costa Rica | 1-1 | Yokohama Int'l | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 4-29-2002 | Slovakia | 1-0 | Nat'l Stadium | Start | 66 | 0 |
| 5-14-2002 | Norway | 0-3 | Oslo, Norway | Sub | 45 | 0 |
| 5-25-2002 | Sweden | 1-1 | Nat'l Stadium | Start | 87 | 0 |
| 6-4-2002 | Belgium | 2-2 | Saitama Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-9-2002 | Russia | 1-0 | Yokohama Int'l | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-14-2002 | Tunisia | 2-0 | Nagai Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-18-2002 | Turkey | 0-1 | Miyagi Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
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