BioKenta Hasegawa was one of the Japanese stars of the J.League in its early years, ranking alongside Kazu Miura, Nobuhiro Takeda, Hisashi Kurosaki and Taskuya Takagi as the most prolific of Japanese scorers in an era when foreign players tended to dominate the striker position. Hasegawa was already on the downhill slope of his career when the J.League kicked off, playing his first J.League match at the age of 28. Yet he remained a prolific scorer for Shimizu S-Pulse throughout their "bridesmaid years" of the late 1990s. In 1999, Hasegawa stepped aside at the age of 34 to make way for the next generation of youngsters. Though never a standout on the national team, he did receive 27 national team caps, scored four goals, and was on the pitch during the infamous "Agony at Doha" match in 1993. Since hanging up his boots, Hasegawa has become a highly successful coach and team manager, and has captured silverware with several different teams. He started his coaching career in the S-Pulse ranks, rising to head coach in 2005 and remaining at the helm until 2010. Hasegawa then spent five years at Gamba Osaka, winning the ACL title with the Naniwa Nerazzuri. His ongoing career also included stops at FC Tokyo and Nagoya Grampus.
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