Nobuhiro Takeda (武田 修宏,Takeda Nobuhiro; born 10 May 1967) is a Japanese formerfootball player. He played forJapan national team. He was a forward and known as an opportunistic goal-scorer, making most of his quick thinking and canny positioning. He currently works atNippon Television and belongs to an entertainment agencyHoripro as asportscaster.[1] Takeda is also an influential businessman and player agent in Japanese.[2]
Takeda was educated at and played forShimizu Higashi High School. He joinedJapan Soccer League sideYomiuri in 1986. When Japan's first professional leagueJ1 League started in 1993, Yomiuri was transformed toVerdy Kawasaki for whom he continued to play. His partnership withKazuyoshi Miura up front was one of the key elements that brought successes to the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was transferred toJúbilo Iwata for the 1996 season but came back to Verdy (1997), then moved toKyoto Purple Sanga (July 1997-December 1997),JEF United Ichihara (1998–1999), again Verdy (2000), Paraguayan sideSportivo Luqueño (June 2000-December 2000), where he made two appearances for the club under coachRaul Vicente Amarilla,[2] and finished his playing career at Verdy (2001).
Under national coachHans Ooft, Japan reached the1994 World Cup qualification final stage for the1994 World Cup. He was on the pitch, after replacingMasashi Nakayama in the 81st minute, when Japan's hope to play in the finals in the USA was dashed by an injury-time Iraqi equaliser in the last qualifier, the match that the Japanese fans now refer to as theAgony of Doha.
