| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 October 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Coventry City | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| FC Tokyo Musashi U15 | |||
| Maebashi Ikuei High School | |||
| 2015–2018 | Toyo University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Montedio Yamagata | 44 | (7) |
| 2020–2022 | Cerezo Osaka | 66 | (8) |
| 2022 | → KV Oostende (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | KV Oostende | 30 | (0) |
| 2023– | Coventry City | 28 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Japan | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:30, 5 January 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 June 2021 | |||
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (坂元 達裕, Sakamoto Tatsuhiro, born 22 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Coventry City.
Starting out playing for Toyo University, Sakamoto was a specially designated player for Montedio Yamagata in the 2018 season.[1] Despite not making an appearance during this time, Sakamoto fully joined Montedio Yamagata for the 2019 season playing in the J2 League. Sakamoto appeared in every single league game that Montedio Yamagata played in the 2019 season, scoring seven goals in the process. The team also advanced into the second round of the promotion playoffs but were beaten 1–0 by Tokushima Vortis.[2]
After a successful debut season in the J2 League, Sakamoto was signed by Cerezo Osaka for the 2020 season. He went on to appear in 33 of their 38 league games and cement himself as part of the team.
On 5 January 2022, Sakamoto joined Belgian club KV Oostende on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy.[3] This option was triggered later in 25 May, with Oostende signing him on a contract transfer lasting to 2025. [4]
On 10 July 2023, Sakamoto signed for EFL Championship team Coventry City in a three year deal. The transfer fee was undisclosed.[5]
On 6 August, he made his debut for Coventry as a late substitute in a 2–1 loss at Leicester City.[6] He scored his first goal in English football in a 3–0 win at Millwall on 25 November, becoming the first Japanese player to score for Coventry.[7]
He made his debut for Japan national football team on 7 June 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Tajikistan.[8]
| League | National Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2019 | Montedio Yamagata | J2 League | 44 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | 44 | 7 | |
| 2020 | Cerezo Osaka | J1 League | 33 | 2 | – | 3 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 6 | ||
| Total | 66 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 76 | 8 | ||
| 2021−22 | KV Oostende (loan) | First Division A | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | KV Oostende | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Coventry City | Championship | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 6 |
| Total | 179 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 191 | 21 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
