is a Japanese professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

club

Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...

Club career

Misao was converted to a central midfielder during his time in

Tokyo Verdy is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club currently competes in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2023. History Founded as Yomiuri Football Club in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the mo ...

's youth ranks, On 18 April 2014, he was registered as a second-tier player for Tokyo Verdy's first team. Misao was fully promoted to first team of Verdy in 2015. In January 2016, Misao signed for

. On 5 July 2017, he played as a center-back against

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's home stadium is Panasonic Stadium Suita. They form a ...

. He was chosen as one of the candidates for award 2018 Asian Footballer of the Year. After consistently good seasons at

, he experienced a different role on his last season with the club. Since

Mitsuo Ogasawara is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Japan national team. Club career Ogasawara was born in Morioka on 5 April 1979. After graduating from high school, he joined J1 League club Kashima Antlers ...

's retirement on 2018, he started several matches wearing the captain's armband, despite the relatively young age for a player to be named captain. On 2022, due to many problems regarding the back-line underperformances at the start of the season, Misao had to switch his position, playing as a center-back for the most part of the season.

Santa Clara

After showcasing his versatility and consistency at the Antlers, Misao was considered by Santa Clara as "a polivalent midfielder, who despite having better defensive proficiency, can also play in less defensive roles in the midfield." In December 2022, the then 26-year old Misao was announced for them as a 2022–23 new mid-season signing, coming in an initial transfer period of one season and a half, with an option to extend his contract for another two seasons.

OH Leuven

On 19 July 2023, Misao was announced at OH Leuven on a two year contract, becoming the first ever Japanese player for OH Leuven.

Return to Kashima Antlers

On 15 July 2024, Misao was announced at Kashima Antlers.

International career

In October 2013, Misao was elected for the Japan U-17 national team, as part of the 2013 U-17 World Cup squad. He featured in 2 matches in the tournament. Misao made his international debut against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

on 16 December 2017. In May 2018, he was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in l ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. However, Japan's manager Akira Nishino did not select Misao into the final 23-player squad.

Personal life

His elder brother Yuto is also a professional footballer. On 11 October 2021, it was announced that Misao and

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

announcer Haruna Goto were getting married.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

* * *
Profile at Kashima Antlers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misao, Kento 1996 births Living people Association football people from Tokyo Metropolis Japanese men's footballers Japanese expatriate men's footballers Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal J1 League players J2 League players Primeira Liga players Belgian Pro League players Tokyo Verdy players Kashima Antlers players C.D. Santa Clara players Oud-Heverlee Leuven players Men's association football midfielders Japan men's international footballers People from Musashino, Tokyo AFC Champions League Elite–winning players 21st-century Japanese sportsmen