hiː wˈʌn ðə ɹˈʊki ʌvðə jˈɪɹ ɐwˈɔːɹd ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈuː ænd wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd æz wˈʌn ʌvðə dʒˈeɪ.lˈiːɡ bˈɛst ᵻlˈɛvən ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θɹˈiː.
He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2002 and was selected as one of the J.League Best Eleven in 2003.