Former Japan defender Yuichi Komano will retire after finishing the J-League third-division season with FC Imabari, the club said Thursday.
The 41-year-old Komano, who played for Japan at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, plans to speak to supporters after the club's final home game of the season on Sunday in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture.
Komano started his professional career with Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2000 and played at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He also had stints with other J-League sides Jubilo Iwata, FC Tokyo and Avispa Fukuoka.
In 2019, Komano helped FC Imabari, owned by former Japan manager Takeshi Okada, earn promotion to J3 from the fourth-tier Japan Football League.
Komano played in all four matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he missed Japan's third spot kick in a 5-3 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the round of 16, following a scoreless 120 minutes.
