Kanji Okunuki

Kanji Okunuki
奥抜 侃志
Personal information
Full name Kanji Okunuki
Date of birth (1999-08-11) 11 August 1999
Place of birth Tochigi, Japan
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
Gamba Osaka
Number 44
Youth career
Fanaticos
–2017 Omiya Ardija
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2023 Omiya Ardija 91 (14)
2022–2023 → Górnik Zabrze (loan) 26 (4)
2023–2025 1. FC Nürnberg 35 (4)
2025– Gamba Osaka 26 (2)
International career‡
2024– Japan 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 January 2024

Kanji Okunuki (奥抜 侃志, Okunuki Kanji; born 11 August 1999) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for J1 League club Gamba Osaka.[1]

Career

Okunuki was born in Ina, Saitama. After raising through Omiya Ardija youth ranks, he signed for the top team in January 2018.[2]

On 31 August 2022, he left Omiya to join Ekstraklasa side Górnik Zabrze on a season-long loan, with the Polish club keeping an option to make the move permanent.[3]

On 30 June 2023, 1. FC Nürnberg from German 2. Bundesliga announced the signing of Okunuki.[4]

On 6 January 2025, Okunuki returned to Japan and signed with J1 League club Gamba Osaka for the 2025 season.[5]

International career

On 9 October 2023, Okunuki was called up for the Japan senior national team for the friendly matches against Canada and Tunisia on 13 October and 17 October 2023.[6]

He made his debut on 1 January 2024 in a friendly against Thailand.[7]

Career statistics

As of match played 21 September 2024.[8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Omiya Ardija 2018 J2 League 7000—1[b]080
2019 J2 League 25510—1[b]0275
2020 J2 League 23500——235
2021 J2 League 17300——173
2022 J2 League 19120——211
Total 91143000209614
Gornik Zabrze (loan) 2022–23 Ekstraklasa 26420——284
1. FC Nürnberg 2023–24 2. Bundesliga 30331——334
2024–25 2. Bundesliga 5110——61
Total 354410000395
Gamba Osaka 2025 J1 League 0000000000
Career total 1522291002016323
  1. ↑ Includes Emperor's Cup, Polish Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. 1 2 Includes J1 League promotion play-offs

Honours

Gamba Osaka

References

  1. ↑ kanji-okunuki at Soccerway
  2. ↑ "大宮、ユース所属Mf奥抜侃志の来季トップチーム昇格内定を発表". 29 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Kanji Okunuki zawodnikiem Górnika" (in Polish). Górnik Zabrze. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Neue nummer 11: Nürnberg holt Offensiv-Allrounder Okunuki" (in German). Kicker. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "奥抜 侃志選手 1.FC ニュルンベルク(ドイツ) より完全移籍加入のお知らせ". ガンバ大阪. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "Kanji Okunuki erstmals fürs Nationalteam nominiert" [Kanji Okunuki nominated for the national team for the first time] (in German). 1. FC Nürnberg. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Japan v Thailand game report". ESPN. 1 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 165 out of 289)