Shinji Ono, 44, announced his retirement from football on Sunday, after a career that saw him become Japan’s first player to win a European club trophy.
During a four-year stint with Feyenoord, Ono was a member of the side that defeated Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup final.
Along with Hidetoshi Nakata and Kazuyoshi Miura, the offensive midfielder was part of a pioneering wave of Japanese players that moved to Europe in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Ono, nicknamed “Genius,” earned his international debut at the age of 18 and went on to represent Japan at the 1998 World Cup in France two months later.
He appeared in three World Cups and earned 56 international caps, scoring six goals.
Ono won the Asian Player of the Year award in 2000 and has also played for clubs in Germany and Australia, where he won the A-League Premiership with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2013.
He also won the J. League, Asian Champions League, and the 2000 Asian Cup with Urawa Red Diamonds.
Ono played his final game for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in a 2-0 loss to Urawa on the final day of the J. League season on Sunday.
Several of his former Japan teammates, notably 56-year-old attacker ‘King Kazu’ Miura, are still active in their 40s and beyond.