Daigo Kobayashi

Daigo Kobayashi (born 19 February 1983) is a Japanese football player, who plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

Career

He started up his professional career at Tokyo Verdy where he won the Emperor's Cup in 2004 and the Super Cup in 2005. In the same year they were relegated from the J-League, which marked his end in Tokyo. He signed for Omiya Ardija at the start of the 2006 season and quickly became their star player. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup he played his first and only international match.

The club's successes were limited and after the 2008 season, he was offered the chance to go on trial at Norwegian club Stabæk. His trial was a success, and in February 2009 he was loaned out to the Norwegian champions. He was given the number 10 shirt, which had recently been worn by Veigar Páll Gunnarsson.

On 8 March, he made his official debut for Stabæk in the 2009 Super Cup where the league champions won 3–1 against cup champions Vålerenga, with Kobayashi playing an important part, getting on the score-sheet with a free kick and showing trickery with the ball. Stabæk decided to not to buy him at the end of the season.