Yoichiro Kakitani facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 January 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Osaka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward, attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2005 | Cerezo Osaka | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | Cerezo Osaka | 129 | (37) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | → Tokushima Vortis (loan) | 97 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | FC Basel | 18 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Cerezo Osaka | 124 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Nagoya Grampus | 57 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Tokushima Vortis | 29 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Japan U17 | 9 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Japan U20 | 8 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Japan | 18 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 January 2023, 21:23 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2014 |
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Yoichiro Kakitani (柿谷 曜一朗, Kakitani Yōichirō) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He was born on January 3, 1990. Yoichiro played as a forward or an attacking midfielder. He is known for his skill and creativity on the field.
Contents
Yoichiro's Football Journey
Starting with Cerezo Osaka
Yoichiro Kakitani began his football journey very early. He joined the youth team of Cerezo Osaka in Osaka, Japan, when he was just 4 years old. This was his home club.
In 2006, at only 16 years old, he signed his first professional contract with Cerezo Osaka. This made him the youngest player ever to sign a pro contract with the club. He played his first game in the J-League on November 26, 2006. During his youth, he also trained with famous European clubs like Arsenal F.C. and Inter Milan.
Yoichiro also studied at Waseda University starting in 2008. In 2009, he was loaned to Tokushima Vortis to gain more experience. He returned to Cerezo Osaka in 2012.
Playing in Europe with FC Basel
On July 7, 2014, Yoichiro moved to Europe. He signed a four-year contract with FC Basel, a top club in Switzerland. He joined the team for the 2014–15 season.
He played his first league game for Basel on August 2, 2014. A week later, on August 9, he scored his first goal for the club. The 2014–15 season was very successful for Basel. They won the Swiss Super League championship for the sixth time in a row. They also played in the Champions League, reaching the knockout phase.
However, Yoichiro did not play as much as he hoped. He appeared in 28 out of 50 matches that season. In the next season, under a new coach, he played even less. Because he wasn't getting enough playing time, he decided to return to Japan. He played a total of 41 games for Basel and scored 14 goals during his 18 months there.
Coming Back to Japan
In January 2016, Yoichiro left FC Basel and returned to his first club, Cerezo Osaka. The team had moved down to the J2 League while he was away. However, they worked hard and returned to the J1 League in 2017.
On January 6, 2023, Yoichiro announced he was returning to Tokushima Vortis. This was the same club he had played for on loan earlier in his career.
Playing for Japan
Youth National Teams
Yoichiro was a star player for Japan's youth teams. In 2006, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the AFC U-17 Championship. He helped Japan win the tournament by scoring 4 goals.
He also scored two goals at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. One of his goals against France was amazing, scored from the halfway line!
Senior National Team
Yoichiro made his debut for the Japan senior team in 2013. This was during the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. He scored his first international goal against China.
He then scored two more goals against South Korea in a 2–1 win. His three goals in three matches made him the top goal scorer of the tournament. Japan also won the cup that year.
Under-17 Goals
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kakitani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2006 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore |  Singapore |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 AFC U-17 Championship |
| 2 | 11 September 2006 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore |  Iran |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 AFC U-17 Championship |
| 3 | 14 September 2006 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore |  Syria |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 AFC U-17 Championship |
| 4 | 17 September 2006 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore |  North Korea |
1–2 | 4–2 | 2006 AFC U-17 Championship |
| 5 | 19 August 2007 | Gwangyang Football Stadium, Gwangyang, South Korea |  Haiti |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| 6 | 25 August 2007 | Gwangyang Football Stadium, Gwangyang, South Korea |  France |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup |
Under-20 Goals
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kakitani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2007 | Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand |  Myanmar |
8–0 | 8–0 | 2008 AFC Youth Championship qualification |
| 2 | 14 November 2007 | Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand |  Laos |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2008 AFC Youth Championship qualification |
| 3 | 7 December 2009 | Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong |  Macau |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2009 East Asian Games |
Senior Team Goals
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kakitani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 July 2013 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea |  China |
2–1 | 3–3 | 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup |
| 2 | 28 July 2013 | Seoul Olympic Stadium, Seoul, South Korea |  South Korea |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup |
| 3 | 2–1 | |||||
| 4 | 16 November 2013 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Belgium |
1–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 4 June 2014 | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, United States |  Costa Rica |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Yoichiro Kakitani has won several awards and championships throughout his career:
Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2014–15, 2015–16
Cerezo Osaka
- J.League Cup: 2017
- Emperor's Cup: 2017
- Nagoya Grampus
- J.League Cup: 2021
Japan
- EAFF East Asian Cup: 2013
Japan U-17
- AFC U-17 Championship: 2006
Individual
- AFC U-17 Championship Most Valuable Player: 2006
- EAFF East Asian Cup Top Scorer: 2013
- J. League Division 1 Player of the Month: May 2013
See also
In Spanish: Yōichirō Kakitani para niños
