Sota Kitano

Sota Kitano (born August 13, 2004 in Arida,  Japan) is a Japanese football player. He playes as Midfielder for FC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga
Career 
Kitano started at Arterivo Yuasam. He then moved to Cerezo Osaka. He first played in the youth team and then in the U23, the second team. He made his debut on 25 October 2020 (matchday 23) in a brief appearance against Gamba Osaka's U23. He then made several appearances in the third division and became a regular in the U23. He made his first top division appearance as a youth player on 19 February 2022 (matchday 1) in an away match against Yokohama F. Marinos. Transfermarkt.de  Here he came on as a substitute for Mutsuki Katō in the 80th minute. On 1 February 2023, he signed his first professional contract with Cerezo. He made 68 appearances for Cerezo in the Japanese top league , scoring eight goals.

In June 2025, Kitano moved to Austrian Bundesliga club FC Red Bull Salzburg in the special transfer window as part of the 2025 Club World Cup. There  he received a contract running until 2029.  www.redbullsalzburg.at   He scored his first goal for Salzburg in the first round of the 2025-26 season in a awaymatch versus SV Ried. Austria Soccer 

International 
Kitano has played for various Japanese youth teams. He participated with the U-20 team at the 2023 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. There he played in all five matches. By reaching the semifinals, the team qualified for the World Cup in Argentina. Kitano was also part of the squad there and played in all three group matches.

References 

Category:2004 births
Category:Living people
Category:Japanese footballers
Category:J1 League players
Category:FC Red Bull Salzburg players