Sestao River, a team from Group IV of the Third Division, has announced the signing of Japanese Daiki Niwa, 35-year-old center-back twice international with the Japanese team, who will play for the Basque team until the end of the season.
Formed the lower categories of Gamba Osaka, Niwa presents in his record two titles from the J1 League, the Japanese First Division, two Emperor’s Cups and a Super Cup from his country. The defender has also played for Tokushima Vortis, Omiya Ardija, Avispa Fukuoka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
With the Japan team he was called up nine times and played two games, both in 2015, an official one against China in the East Asian Championship and a friendly against Iraq.
After finishing the league with Tokyo FC, the new Sestao River player arrived in Bilbao at the beginning of the year “to study Spanish” and has been training for “a couple of months” with the green-black team, the president of the Biscayan club, Ángel Castro, told EFE.
Niwa made his debut a few weeks ago in a friendly against the Deportivo Alavés subsidiary in Las Llanas, in which he also scored a goal, although it has not been until now that he has completed all the bureaucratic procedures necessary to formalize his record.
Sestao River disputes the second phase for promotion to the Second RFEF. In case of not qualifying among the first two of his group after the last day that takes place this weekend, and thus achieving direct promotion, he would have one last chance in the ‘playoffs’.
