Ryo Nagai (永井 龍, Nagai Ryo, born 23 May 1991) is a Japanese football player who can play as a winger on either side or through the centre as a striker. He currently plays for the J1 club Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Club career Cerezo Osaka During the 2011/12 season, Nagai made his AFC Champions League debut as a 74th-minute substitute for Cerezo Osaka against Chinese club Shandong Luneng on 10 May 2011. Cerezo Osaka won the group G match 4–0 at the Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan.
Perth Glory On 28 September 2012 it was announced that Nagai had signed with Perth Glory for a season long loan deal. He played his first game for Perth Glory coming of the bench in the team's 1–0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners.
During his first season with the Glory, Ryo found it hard to break into the starting team under then coach Ian Ferguson. His playing time was greatly restricted until Ferguson stood down in February and Perth Glory appointed Alistair Edwards as his replacement. Under Edwards, Nagai flourished and his performances improved with each game played and Nagai contributed to Glory's surprise push for the A-League finals.
On 5 July 2013 it was announced that Perth Glory and Cerezo Osaka had finally agreed to a new loan deal for Ryo to spend the 2013/14 A-League season with the Western Australian club. Upon the announcement of the signing, Perth Glory head coach, Alistair Edwards, told the media that Ryo had become one of the family and highlighted his versatility in attack as one of the major reasons Glory were keen to secure his signature for a second time.
Japanese J1 League / Japan
