is a former Japanese
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player.
Playing career
Saito was born in
Muroran
is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 76,385, with 43,494 households and a population density of . The ...
on September 18, 1979. After graduating from
Kokushikan University
is a private university in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan.
The basic origins of Kokushikan University lie in the Kokushikan private academy which was founded in Tokyo's Azabu District in 1917, during the Taisho period. Kokushikan's 146,000 graduates a ...
, he joined
J2 League
The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...
club
Cerezo Osaka
is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osak ...
in 2002. Although he could not play at all in the match, Cerezo was promoted to
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 ...
end of
2002 season. He debuted as center back in 2003 and played many matches until 2004. In April 2005, he moved to newly was promoted to J2 club
Thespa Kusatsu
, formerly is a professional football (soccer) club based in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture in Japan. The club currently play in the J3 League, the third tier of Japanese professional football.
History
The club was founded in 1995 in Kusatsu, on ...
. He became a regular center back and played many matches in 2 seasons. In 2007, he moved to
Japan Football League
The , also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League 100 Year Plan club sta ...
club
FC Gifu
Football Club Gifu (フットボールクラブ岐阜, ''Futtobōrukurabu Gifu''), abbreviated as is a Japanese football club based in Gifu, capital of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J3 League, the third tier of Japanese professional ...
. He retired end of 2007 season.
Club statistics
References
External links
*
cerezo-museum.comlibrary.footballjapan.jp
1979 births
Living people
Kokushikan University alumni
Association football people from Hokkaido
Japanese men's footballers
J1 League players
J2 League players
Japan Football League players
Cerezo Osaka players
Thespa Gunma players
FC Gifu players
Men's association football defenders
Sportspeople from Muroran
20th-century Japanese sportsmen
{{Japan-footy-defender-1970s-stub