Rihei Sano

Rihei Sano

Personal information
Full name	Rihei Sano
Date of birth	(1912-09-21)September 21, 1912
Place of birth	Shizuoka, Japan
Date of death	March 26, 1992(1992-03-26) (aged 79)
Place of death	Japan
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Waseda University
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Waseda WMW
National team
1936	Japan	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Rihei Sano (佐野 理平, Sano Rihei, September 21, 1912 – March 26, 1992) was a Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.

Biography

Sano was born in Shizuoka Prefecture on September 21, 1912. He played for Waseda WMW which was consisted of his alma mater Waseda University players and graduates.

In 1936, when Sano was a Waseda University student, he was selected the Japan national team for 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. At this competition, on August 4, he debuted against Sweden. Japan completed a come-from-behind victory against Sweden. The first victory in Olympics for the Japan and the historic victory over one of the powerhouses became later known as "Miracle of Berlin" (ベルリンの奇跡) in Japan. In 2016, this team was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame. On August 7, he also played against Italy. He played 2 games for Japan in 1936.

Sano died on March 26, 1992 at the age of 79.

Statistics

Japan national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1936	2	0
Total	2	0

Other websites

• Rihei Sano at WorldFootball.net
• Rihei Sano at National-Football-Teams.com
• Rihei Sano at Olympedia
• Japan Football Hall of Fame (Japan team at 1936 Olympics) at Japan Football Association