Yuta Higuchi
樋口 雄太
Personal information
Full name Yuta Higuchi
Date of birth (1996-10-30) 30 October 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Kamimine, Saga Prefecture, Japan[1]
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Kashima Antlers
Number 14
Youth career
–2013 Sagan Tosu U-18
2014–2018 National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Sagan Tosu 66 (7)
2022– Kashima Antlers 66 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:34, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 May 2019

Yuta Higuchi (樋口 雄太, Higuchi Yūta, born 30 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club Kashima Antlers.[2]

Youth career

Born in Kamimine, Saga Prefecture, Higuchi began his career coming up through the academy at his boyhood team Sagan Tosu. He played for their U-12, U-15 and U-18 sides, however he was not promoted to the senior squad.[3][4]

After failing to make the Sagan Tosu squad, from 2015 to 2018 Higuchi studied at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya and played 75 games for them in the JUFA Kyushu League, the Japan College Prime Minister's Cup and the Japan Inter College Tournament.[5]

Career

Sagan Tosu

In November 2018, Higuchi signed his first professional contract with Sagan Tosu after graduating from college and would play for them in the 2019 season.[6] He made his debut in the second league game of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute for Masato Fujita in a 1–0 defeat to Vissel Kobe.[7][8] He was named as a starter for the first time in the following month, in a 3–1 J.League Cup defeat to Vegalta Sendai.[9] In his debut season, Higuchi made eight appearances across all competitions.

The 2020 season was Higuchi's breakout year, as he went on to 28 appearances and help Tosu to an improved 13th place finish in the league. As well as providing four assists, he scored his first professional goal from a direct free-kick in a 2–1 victory over Cerezo Osaka.[10][11][12]

In January 2021, Higuchi was handed the number 10 shirt for the upcoming season.[13] He did not disappoint and made 42 appearances across all competitions, providing six assists and six goals and received some rave reviews for his performances.[14][15][16] Sagan Tosu finished the season in 7th place in the J1 League, the highest placed finish in their history.[17] At the end of his third season, Higuchi had scored eight goals in 78 appearances for the club.

Kashima Antlers

In December 2021, he transferred to Kashima Antlers.[18] Higuchi enjoyed a strong first season representing Kashima, playing 42 games for the club across all competitions and finishing with the 8 league assists, the second highest amount for the season.[19] He finished the season with 13 assists in total.

Higuchi continued to be a key player for Kashima in his second season with the club, starting most of their games. At the beginning of August 2023, he scored one and assisted two goals in a 3–0 victory over Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and following a string of other exceptional performances he was awarded the J.League Monthly MVP award.[20]

Career statistics

As of 3 December 2023[21][22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Japan League Emperor's Cup J.League Cup Other Total
Sagan Tosu 2019 J1 League 1 0 2 0 5 0 – 8 0
2020 J1 League 28 1 – – – 28 1
2021 J1 League 37 6 3 1 2 0 – 42 7
Total 66 7 5 1 7 0 0 0 78 8
Kashima Antlers 2022 J1 League 32 2 3 0 7 1 – 42 3
2023 J1 League 33 3 1 0 3 0 – 37 3
Total 65 5 4 0 10 1 0 0 79 6
Career total 131 12 9 1 17 1 0 0 157 12

Personal life

In December 2020, Higuchi announced his marriage.[23] In August 2021, his wife gave birth to their first child, a boy.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Yuta Higuchi Profile" (PDF). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  2. ^ "樋口 雄太 | 鹿島アントラーズ オフィシャルサイト". 鹿島アントラーズ オフィシャルサイト | KASHIMA ANTLERS (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ "サガン、樋口（鹿屋体大）来季加入 Ｕ－18の石井も昇格 | スポーツ | 佐賀新聞ニュース". 佐賀新聞 (in Japanese). 25 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. ^ "「めちゃくちゃ好きなクラブ」にプロとして戻る鹿屋体育大MF樋口、鳥栖の勝利に貢献することを誓う". ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 12 December 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2018 Yuta Higuchi Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. ^ "鳥栖、鹿屋体育大MF樋口雄太の来季加入内定を発表…かつて下部組織に在籍のボランチ". 超ワールドサッカー！ (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2019 J1 League 19/03/02 Vissel Kobe - Sagan Tosu Results,Players,Highlight". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. ^ "17歳の新星、プロ初ゴール、不運な初退場も…J1・J2第2節、存在感を放ったルーキーたち". ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 4 March 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2019 J League YBC Levain Cup 19/03/06 Sagan Tosu - Vegalta Sendai Results,Players". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Yuta Higuchi 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2020 J1 League 20/12/16 Cerezo Osaka - Sagan Tosu Results,Players,Highlight". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  12. ^ "「めっちゃすごいFK」 韓国人GK呆然…鳥栖の"新婚"MFが決めた芸術弾に反響「愛の力か…」". www.football-zone.net (in Japanese). 17 December 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  13. ^ SAGAN DREAMS Co., Ltd. "2021サガン鳥栖選手一覧". サガン鳥栖 [公式] オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  14. ^ "「これはイニエスタ」「うますぎ！」鳥栖の10番・樋口雄太が披露した"世界レベル"のスルーパスに反響！ | サッカーダイジェストWeb". www.soccerdigestweb.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2021 Yuta Higuchi Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Yuta Higuchi 2021 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Summary - J1 League - Japan - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  18. ^ "鹿島 鳥栖ＭＦ樋口雄太を完全移籍で獲得 背番号10背負い今季快進撃に貢献 - Ｊ１ : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  19. ^ "All Positions | Assists | All clubs | MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE | 2022 Player Stats". J.LEAGUE. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Yuta Higuchi wins Konami Monthly MVP for romping August | News". J.LEAGUE. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Japan - Y. Higuchi - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Soccer D.B. : 2022 Yuta Higuchi Result by Season". Soccer D.B. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  24. ^ SAGAN DREAMS Co., Ltd. "樋口雄太選手 第一子誕生(長男)のお知らせ". サガン鳥栖 [公式] オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 July 2023.

External links

Kashima Antlers – current squad
Categories