Ikuma Sekigawa
関川 郁万
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-09-13) 13 September 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Kashima Antlers
Number 5
Youth career
0000–2018 RKU Kashiwa HS
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019– Kashima Antlers 90 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:11, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Ikuma Sekigawa (関川 郁万, Sekigawa Ikuma, born 13 September 2000) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for J1 League club Kashima Antlers.[1]

Youth career

Born in Tokyo, Sekigawa started playing football when he was three years old. He joined his first club, FC Tama Junior Youth, whilst he was in elementary school.[2] He attended high school at Kashiwa High School attached to Ryutsu Keizai University where he played from his first year. In 2016, aged 16, Sekigawa's high school were runners-up in the Inter High School Championship following a 1–0 defeat to Funabashi Municipal High School.[3] Sekigawa played 4 times in the competition, as well as another 8 games in the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football League.[4] The following year Kashiwa High School went one better in the Inter High School Championship and were crowned champions.[5] Sekigawa started all five games and was one of the driving forces behind the victory – drawing some comparisons to Kashima Antlers centre-back Naomichi Ueda.[6] During the competition, Sekigawa scored a hat-trick in their third-round 5–0 win over Ichiritsu Nagano High School.[7] They also finished runners-up in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, following a 1–0 defeat to Maebashi Ikuei High School. In his final year at high school, Kashiwa High School once again lost in the final of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament – this time a 3–1 defeat to Aomori Yamada High School. The game was played in front of 54,194 supporters at Saitama Stadium 2002.[8] Again Sekigawa was amongst the goals throughout the competition, scoring three goals in five games. In May 2018, it was announced that Sekigawa would be joining J1 League club Kashima Antlers for the 2019 season.[9][10]

In his final competition for his high school, he was made captain for the 2018 Prince Takamado Cup,[11] where he made 12 appearances and scored one goal.[12]

Club career

In April 2019, Sekigawa made his professional debut for Kashima in a 0–1 AFC Champions League defeat to Gyeongnam FC.[13] In his debut season, he played twice in the AFC Champions League and made one appearance in the Emperor's Cup.[14]

Sekigawa made his J.League debut in the 2020 season, starting at centre-back in a 3–0 defeat by Sanfrecce Hiroshima.[15] He went on to make 17 appearances across all competitions, playing over 1000 minutes of J1 League football and also making his first appearance in the J.League Cup.

In the 2021 season, Sekigawa scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds.[16] Following an indirect free-kick from the opponents half, Sekigawa looped a header over the goalkeeper to draw the game level.[17] This was his first game back following suspension after receiving his first red card in a 1–0 defeat to Avispa Fukuoka the previous month.[18] Sekigawa made 21 appearances across all competitions.

Following the departures of defenders Tomoya Inukai and Koki Machida before the start of the 2022 season, Sekigawa was handed the number 5 shirt was afforded much more playing time.[19] He was first-choice centre-back for much of the season.

Club statistics

As of 3 December 2023[20][21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Japan League Emperor's Cup J.League Cup AFC Total
Kashima Antlers 2019 J1 League 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0
2020 15 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 17 0
2021 13 1 1 0 7 0 – 21 1
2022 32 0 4 0 5 1 – 41 1
2023 30 2 1 0 6 0 – 37 2
Career total 90 3 7 0 20 1 2 0 119 4

International career

Sekigawa has been selected for the U-16, U-17 and U-20 national team squads.[9] However, he twice had to pull out of U-16 squad call-ups due to injury, firstly in August 2015[22] and secondly in May 2016.[23] In 2019, he was called-up to replace the injured Ryotaro Tsunoda as part of the U-20s Chiba training camp before the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, although Sekigawa did not make the squad for the tournament.[24]

References

  1. ^ "関川 郁万：鹿島アントラーズ：Ｊリーグ.jp". Ｊリーグ.jp（日本プロサッカーリーグ） (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  2. ^ "関川 郁万（いくま）さん | J１・鹿島アントラーズに内定し、全国高校サッカー選手権大会に出場する | 多摩". タウンニュース (in Japanese). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2016 Inter Highschool Championship 16/08/02 Funabashi Municipal High School - Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School Results,Players,Formation". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2016 Ikuma Sekigawa Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2017 Inter Highschool Championship". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. ^ "FWとの空中戦で「うおりゃああ！」。流通経済大柏・関川郁万は武闘派CB。（安藤隆人）". Number Web - ナンバー (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2017 Inter Highschool Championship 17/07/31 Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School - Ichiritsu Nagano High School Results,Players". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2018-19 Japan Highschool Soccer Tournament 19/01/14 Aomori Yamada High School - Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School Results,Players,Formation". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b "流通経済大付柏高よりDF関川の来季加入が内定【鹿島】：Ｊリーグ.jp". Ｊリーグ.jp（日本プロサッカーリーグ） (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  10. ^ "鹿島、U-17代表DF関川郁万の来季獲得を発表。流経大柏で選手権準優勝". フットボールチャンネル (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  11. ^ "注目の超高校級CBは来季鹿島へ!!流経大柏キャプテン関川郁万の加入内定を発表 (2018年5月12日)". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2018 Ikuma Sekigawa Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Kashima Antlers vs. Gyeongnam - 24 April 2019 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2019 Ikuma Sekigawa Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs. Kashima Antlers - 23 February 2020 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Urawa Reds vs. Kashima Antlers - 3 April 2021 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  17. ^ "【公式】ハイライト：浦和レッズvs鹿島アントラーズ 明治安田生命Ｊ１リーグ 第7節 2021/4/3". Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Avispa Fukuoka vs. Kashima Antlers - 17 March 2021 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  19. ^ "関川郁万、覚醒の時【背番号5の系譜】 | TAKAのJリーグがある幸せ ～鹿島アントラーズ編～". takaantlers10.com (in Japanese). 21 February 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  20. ^ Ikuma Sekigawa at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  21. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2022 Ikuma Sekigawa Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  22. ^ "U-16 Japan National Team squad, schedule (8/7-12) 〔Balcom BMW CUP International Youth Soccer in Hiroshima 2015〕". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  23. ^ "U-16 Japan National Team squad, schedule - China trip - International Youth (U-17) Four Countries Football Tournament (5/7-5/15)". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  24. ^ "U-20日本代表候補 トレーニングキャンプ ＠千葉 メンバー・スケジュール（4/14-16）". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2022.

External links

Kashima Antlers – current squad
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