Kensuke Nagai (永井 謙佑) is a Japanese football player who plays as a striker for J1 League club Nagoya Grampus.

Career

From the age of 3, Nagai spent five years in Ipatinga, Brazil, where he started playing street football with his childhood friends. After moving back from Brazil to Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, he played soccer at local elementary and junior high school clubs, before joining the Kyushu International University High School club, where he played two matches in the 85th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. He joined the Fukuoka University club in April 2007 and won the 33rd Prime Minister's Cup All Japan College Soccer Tournament in 2009. While playing for the Fukuoka University Club, Nagai also played for Avispa Fukuoka in J. League Division 2 in 2009 and Vissel Kobe in 2010 as a J.League designated special player. On 23 December 2009, he was named in the squad for Japan's 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification against Yemen, and made his full international debut for the team in the fixture on 6 January 2010. He was selected as a member of Japanese squad for the 2012 Olympics. He was transferred from Nagoya to Standard Liège of Belgian Pro League in January 2013, but was loaned back to Nagoya from August 2013 to June 2014, due to limited playing opportunities at Standard Liège. In January 2015, the loan deal was terminated, and Nagai returned to Nagoya on a permanent basis.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

Honours

Japan

Club

Nagoya Grampus FC Tokyo

Individual