| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2005-09-16) 16 September 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Kyoto, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Sociedad B | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Kyoto Ohyake SC | ||
| 2018–2024 | Kyoto Sanga | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2026 | Kyoto Sanga | 0 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | → Real Sociedad B (loan) | 31 | (0) |
| 2026– | Real Sociedad B | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Japan U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2023 | Japan U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Japan U20 | 8 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 March 2025 | |||
Kazunari Kita (喜多 壱也, Kita Kazunari; born 16 September 2005) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Real Sociedad B.[1]
Club career
[edit]As a youth player, Kita joined the youth academy of Japanese side Kyoto Sanga, and was registered as a member of the senior squad in February 2023.[2] He made his first team debut on 8 March 2023, starting in a 3–1 home loss to Gamba Osaka, for the year's J.League Cup.[3]
On 23 July 2025, Kita was loaned to Spanish side Real Sociedad for the season, being assigned to the reserves in Segunda División.[4] On 30 June of the following year, the club activated his buyout clause, and he signed a permanent deal until 2030.[5]
International career
[edit]Kita is a Japan youth international. During February 2025, he played for the Japan national under-20 football team at the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup.[6]
Style of play
[edit]Kita plays as a defender and is left-footed. Japanese news website Football Channel wrote in 2025 that he "is unrivaled in aerial battles, and his sharp left-footed passes across the pitch are refreshing to watch".[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kazunari Kita at Soccerway
- ↑ 京都サンガF.C.U-18 喜多壱也選手・飯田陸斗選手 トップチーム登録のお知らせ [Kyoto Sanga FCU-18 players Kita Kazunari and Iida Rikuto have been registered for the first team] (in Japanese). Kyoto Sanga FC. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1–3 Gamba Osaka". J. League. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Refuerzo para el Sanse" [Addition for Sanse] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Firma hasta 2030" [He signs until 2030] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "ソシエダ監督、サンセ加入の19歳DF喜多壱也に期待「高さがあって、展開力、ビルドアップもいい」" [Sociedad manager has high hopes for 19-year-old Sansef Kita Kazuya, who joined the team: "He's tall, has good development skills and is good at building up the attack"] (in Japanese). Gekisaka. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ "京都サンガからサッカーU-20日本代表へ。喜多壱也は仲間の思いを背負って「市原吏音がおらん中で」追い求めるDFリーダー像" [From Kyoto Sanga to the U-20 Japan National Team. Kita Kazuya carries the hopes of his teammates and pursues the image of a defensive leader "in the absence of Ichihara Rion"] (in Japanese). Football Channel. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
External links
[edit]- Kazunari Kita at WorldFootball.net
- 2005 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Kyoto
- Japanese men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Japan men's youth international footballers
- Kyoto Sanga FC players
- Real Sociedad B footballers
- Segunda División players
- Japanese expatriate men's footballers
- Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- 21st-century Japanese sportsmen