Kosuke Kitani facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 October 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Kamagaya, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1996 | Shutoku High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2000 | Kokushikan University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2004 | Omiya Ardija | 46 | (3) |
| 2005–2009 | Vegalta Sendai | 159 | (2) |
| 2010–2013 | Sagan Tosu | 75 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | FC Gifu | 42 | (1) |
| Total | 322 | (12) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024–2025 | Sagan Tosu | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kosuke Kitani (木谷 公亮, Kitani Kosuke, born 9 October 1978) is a Japanese football manager and a former player. He used to play as a defender.
Contents
Kosuke Kitani's Football Journey
Starting His Career
After finishing university, Kosuke Kitani started his professional football journey in 2001. He joined a team called Omiya Ardija, which played in Japan's J2 League. At first, he didn't play much. But from mid-2003, he became an important player. He often played as a defensive midfielder or a center back.
In 2004, his team, Omiya Ardija, did very well. They finished second in the league and moved up to the J1 League. This is the top football league in Japan. However, Kosuke left the club before getting to play in the top league with them.
Playing for Vegalta Sendai
In 2005, Kosuke moved to another J2 team, Vegalta Sendai. He quickly became a regular player there, usually playing as a center back. He played many matches for them until 2008.
In 2009, he didn't play as much. But his team, Vegalta Sendai, won the J2 League that year! This meant they would also move up to the J1 League for the next season. Even though his team was promoted, Kosuke left Vegalta Sendai at the end of 2009.
Time with Sagan Tosu
In 2010, Kosuke Kitani joined another J2 club called Sagan Tosu. He quickly became a key player for this team too. In 2011, he played in all 38 matches of the season. Sagan Tosu finished second, just like Omiya Ardija had, and earned promotion to the J1 League!
So, in 2012, Kosuke finally got to play in the J1 League for the first time in his career. However, he didn't play many matches that season. He only appeared in four games late in the year.
Finishing His Playing Days
In July 2013, Kosuke moved to his last club as a player, FC Gifu, which was also in the J2 League. He played in all 17 matches for them in the rest of 2013. He continued playing in 2014. At the end of the 2014 season, Kosuke Kitani decided to retire from playing professional football.
External links
- Kosuke Kitani at J.League Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
See also
In Spanish: Kosuke Kitani para niños
