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

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for 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 ...

Youth career

Born in Kamimine,

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

, Higuchi began his career coming up through the academy at his boyhood team

Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional Association football, football club based in Tosu, Saga, Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football, since 2025 following relegation from the J1 League in 2024 J1 Leag ...

. He played for their U-12, U-15 and U-18 sides, however he was not promoted to the senior squad. After failing to make the Sagan Tosu squad, from 2015 to 2018 Higuchi studied at the

National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya is a national university in Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends fro ...

and played 75 games for them in the JUFA Kyushu League, the Japan College Prime Minister's Cup and the Japan Inter College Tournament.

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. 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 is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. They are currently the J1 League champions. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stad ...

. He was named as a starter for the first time in the following month, in a 3–1

J.League Cup The is a Japanese Association football, football (soccer) competition organised by J.League, the men's association football league in Japan. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since it ...

defeat to

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Sendai, Miyagi, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Elect ...

. 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 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 January 2021, Higuchi was handed the number 10 shirt for the upcoming season. 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. Sagan Tosu finished the season in 7th place in the

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 ...

, the highest placed finish in their history. 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. 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. 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 is a Japanese professional football club based in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. They will play in the 2025 J2 League, the second tier league of Japanese football, after relegation from the J1 League at conclusion of the 2024 season. Th ...

, and following a string of other exceptional performances he was awarded the J.League Monthly MVP award.

Career statistics

Personal life

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

References

External links

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Profile at Kashima Antlers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higuchi, Yuta 1996 births Living people Japanese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya alumni Sagan Tosu players Kashima Antlers players J1 League players