| Motoki Nagakura 長倉 幹樹 | |
| Birth Date: | 7 October 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Urawa, Saitama, Japan |
| Height: | 1.77 m |
| Currentclub: | Albirex Niigata |
| Clubnumber: | 27 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Youthclubs1: | NEOS FC |
| Youthclubs2: | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| Youthyears2: | 2012–2017 |
| College1: | Juntendo University |
| Collegeyears1: | 2018–2021 |
| Collegecaps1: | 57 |
| Collegegoals1: | 11 |
| Years1: | 2022 |
| Caps1: | 9 |
| Goals1: | 8 |
| Years2: | 2022–2023 |
| Caps2: | 26 |
| Goals2: | 7 |
| Years3: | 2023– |
| Caps3: | 31 |
| Goals3: | 5 |
| Club-Update: | 21:32, 14 September 2024 (UTC) |
is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Albirex Niigata.[1]
Nagakura began his career with Urawa Reds Junior Youth (under-15) after being scouted from junior high school. Despite being physically smaller than his peers, he was technically skilled and eventually earned promotion to Urawa Reds Youth (under-18).[2] In 2017, he scored 7 goals in 18 appearances in the Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League.[3] Nagakura spent three years with Urawa Reds Youth, but was not offered promotion to the first team, so he decided to go to Juntendo University.[4]
Nagakura spent four seasons at Juntendo University, culminating in a run in the 2021 Emperor's Cup, where he helped knock out J1 League club FC Tokyo in the second round and narrowly lose out to J2 League club Thespakusatsu Gunma in the third round.[5]
After finishing university and not receiving any offers from J.League clubs, Nagakura decided to join fifth-tier Kantō Soccer League club Tokyo United FC.[6] As this was an amateur contract, he worked part-time in a gym alongside playing football. Nagakura impressed on the pitch, scoring 8 goals in 9 appearances.[7] He finished as the league's joint top scorer, despite only playing for half the season.[8]
In August 2022, Nagakura was offered a professional contract and transferred to J2 League club Thespakusatsu Gunma.[9] He would be joining up with manager Tsuyoshi Otsuki, who had previously coached Nagakura at Urawa Reds Youth. On 16 August 2022, he made his professional debut in a 1–0 league defeat to Yokohama FC.[10] He scored his first goal for the club in the following game, in a 1–0 league victory over Vegalta Sendai.[11] He finished the 2022 season with 2 goals in 6 appearances for Thespakusatsu Gunma.
In the 2023 season, Nagakura was a key member of the team and scored 5 goals in 20 appearances in the first half of the season.[12] At the end of July, it was announced that Nagakura would be joining J1 League club Albirex Niigata.[13]
As Niigata's key player Ryotaro Ito transferred mid-season, the club was looking for forward reinforcements. Nagakura made his debut for Albirex Niigata on 12 August 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 league draw with Shonan Bellmare. He scored his first J1 League goal on the final game of the season in a 1–0 victory over Cerezo Osaka.[14] He renewed his contract in December 2023, ahead of the 2024 season.[15]
On 4 September 2024, Nagakura scored four goals in a 5–0 J.League Cup quarter-final victory over Machida Zelvia, completing his first career hat-trick.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||||
| Juntendo University | 2021 | – | 3 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Tokyo United FC | 2022 | KSL | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 8 | |||
| Thespakusatsu Gunma | 2022 | J2 League | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 2 | |||
| 2023 | J2 League | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 7 | |||
| Albirex Niigata | 2023 | J1 League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | J1 League | 21 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | – | 29 | 10 | |||
| Total | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 11 | |||
| Career total | 66 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 26 | |||
Individual