1. Eiji Kawashima is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Jubilo Iwata.
58 Facts About Eiji Kawashima
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Eiji Kawashima then played for another Belgian club, Standard Liege, from 2012 to 2015, Dundee United in Scotland from 2015 to 2016; Metz and Strasbourg in France from 2016 to 2023 before returning to Japan with Jubilo Iwata in 2024.
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Eiji Kawashima represented Japan at the 2010,2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, earning over 90 caps, and was named in the final 26-player squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup before announcing retirement from international football one month later.
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Eiji Kawashima then joined Yononishi Junior High School and Urawa Higashi High School.
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Eiji Kawashima started his professional career at Omiya Ardija in J2 League after graduating Urawa Higashi High School.
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Eiji Kawashima went on to make 41 appearances for the side during his three-year spell.
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In 2004, Eiji Kawashima joined Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan's J1 League.
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At times, Eiji Kawashima was given a chance of first team appearances, due to Narazaki suffered an injury.
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However, Eiji Kawashima himself suffered an injury concern after injuring his hand towards the end of the season and was sidelined for four weeks.
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Eiji Kawashima went on to make 17 appearances for the side.
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Eiji Kawashima then kept two clean sheets on 30 March 2008 and 2 April 2008 against JEF United Chiba and Consadole Sapporo.
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Eiji Kawashima then kept two consecutive clean sheets between 23 November 2008 and 29 November 2008 against Gamba Osaka and Vissel Kobe.
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Ahead of the 2009 season, Eiji Kawashima was named the club's senior captain.
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Eiji Kawashima continued as the club's first choice goalkeeper at the start of the season.
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Eiji Kawashima then helped the side win six league matches in a row between 10 May 2009 and 1 July 2009.
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Eiji Kawashima made a total of 47 appearances in all competitions.
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Ahead of the 2010 season, Eiji Kawashima was linked with a move away from Kawasaki Frontale, but ultimately stayed at the club.
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Eiji Kawashima stayed as the club's first choice goalkeeper at the start of the season.
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Eiji Kawashima went on to make 17 appearances for the side in all competitions.
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However, the club struggled at the start of the season and suffered five defeats in the first five matches, but Eiji Kawashima impressed the side with saves.
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Eiji Kawashima then managed two clean sheets between 17 September 2011 and 24 September 2011 against Cercle Brugge and Westerlo.
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Eiji Kawashima again kept two clean sheets between 26 February 2012 and 3 March 2012 against Anderlecht and OH Leuven.
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Eiji Kawashima spent the rest of the season continuing his duties as captain.
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Once again, Eiji Kawashima won the club's player of the season award.
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On 18 July 2012, Eiji Kawashima left Lierse to join Standard Liege on a three-year deal.
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Eiji Kawashima again kept three clean sheets between 18 November 2012 and 2 December 2012 against Zulte Waregem, Lierse and Waasland-Beveren.
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Eiji Kawashima kept another three clean sheets between 16 February 2013 and 9 March 2013 against Cercle Brugge, Genk and OH Leuven.
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Eiji Kawashima started the league season well keeping six clean sheets in the first six league matches.
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Eiji Kawashima later credited the arrival of goalkeeper coach Jos Beckx for his performance and keeping six clean sheets in the first six league matches.
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Eiji Kawashima then kept five more clean sheets between 18 January 2014 and 15 February 2014.
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Kortrijk on 2 August 2014, Eiji Kawashima made an impressive save for the side described as "world class".
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However, Eiji Kawashima was subject of criticism over his performances after mistakes against Feyenoord, Club Brugge and Zulte Waregem.
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However, Eiji Kawashima's performance received criticism when he was at fault for conceding soft goals.
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On 2 August 2016, Eiji Kawashima signed for Ligue 1 side Metz.
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Eiji Kawashima started the season outside the starting lineup for the first two months, appearing on the substitute bench and serving as backup to Thomas Didillon for most of the season.
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Eiji Kawashima reassured his team with a series of excellent displays and as a result, he cemented himself as the club's number one as they fought relegation.
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Eiji Kawashima was called up to the senior team for the first time in March 2007.
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Eiji Kawashima initially appeared as an unused substitute, including at the Asian Cup.
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In May 2010, Eiji Kawashima was selected for the World Cup squad and was expected to serve as backup to Seigo Narazaki.
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Eiji Kawashima denied Frank Lampard twice, including a penalty kick, and a shot by Wayne Rooney before eventually being beaten by two own goals.
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In December 2010, it was announced that Eiji Kawashima was selected by the national team for the 2011 Asian Cup.
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Eiji Kawashima kept two more clean sheets against Tajikistan in both matches, both of which were victories.
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Between 23 May 2012 and 8 June 2012 Eiji Kawashima kept three clean sheets in a row against Azerbaijan, Oman and Jordan.
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In May 2013, Eiji Kawashima was called up by the national side for the 2013 Confederations Cup squad.
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In May 2014, Eiji Kawashima was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
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Eiji Kawashima started all three matches, but was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage.
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In December 2014, Eiji Kawashima was named in Japan's squad for the Asian Cup in Australia.
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However, after leaving Standard Liege, Eiji Kawashima was called up to the national team and lost his place to Shusaku Nishikawa and Masaaki Higashiguchi throughout the rest of 2015 and the beginning of 2016.
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In May 2018, Eiji Kawashima was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the World Cup in Russia.
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Eiji Kawashima announced his retirement from the national team on 15 December 2022.
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Eiji Kawashima commands and is a leader behind the defence.
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Eiji Kawashima revealed that he wears contact lenses when he's on the pitch.
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In December 2008, Eiji Kawashima signed for an agency with Tetsuro Kiyooka, a FIFA Players' Agent, in hopes of moving to Europe.
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Eiji Kawashima said he met his wife four years ago and began dating three years later before getting married.
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In December 2015, Eiji Kawashima revealed on his blog that he was father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a son named Kensei.
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In October 2010, Eiji Kawashima signed a sponsorship with Samantha Thavasa.
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Eiji Kawashima was featured in June 2012 cover of Ermenegildo Zegna magazine.
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Outside of football, Eiji Kawashima is considered very popular in his native country Japan.