Kazunari Kita

Kazunari Kita
喜多 壱也
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-09-16) 16 September 2005
Place of birth Kyoto, Japan
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Real Sociedad B
Number 15
Youth career
–2017 Kyoto Ohyake SC
2018–2024 Kyoto Sanga
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2026 Kyoto Sanga 0 (0)
2025–2026 → Real Sociedad B (loan) 31 (0)
2026– Real Sociedad B 0 (0)
International career‡
2023 Japan U18 2 (0)
2023 Japan U19 4 (0)
2024–2025 Japan U20 14 (0)
2025– Japan U22 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 November 2025

Kazunari Kita (喜多 壱也, Kita Kazunari; born 16 September 2005) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Real Sociedad B.[1]

Club career

As a youth player, Kita joined the youth academy of Japanese side Kyoto Sanga, and was registered as a member of the senior squad in February 2023.[2] He made his first team debut on 8 March 2023, starting in a 3–1 home loss to Gamba Osaka, for the year's J.League Cup.[3]

On 23 July 2025, Kita was loaned to Spanish side Real Sociedad for the season, being assigned to the reserves in the Segunda División.[4] On 30 June of the following year, the club activated his buyout clause, and he signed a permanent deal until 2030.[5]

International career

Kita is a Japan youth international. During February 2025, he played for the Japan national under-20 football team at the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup.[6]

Style of play

Kita plays as a defender and is left-footed. Japanese news website Football Channel wrote in 2025 that he "is unrivaled in aerial battles, and his sharp left-footed passes across the pitch are refreshing to watch".[7]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Kyoto Sanga 2023 J1 League 000010——10
2024 J1 League 002010——30
2025 J1 League 000010——10
Total 002030——50
Real Sociedad B (loan) 2025–26 Segunda División 310————310
Real Sociedad B 2026–27 Segunda División 00————00
Real Sociedad 2026–27 La Liga 0000—00—00
Career total 31020300000360

References

  1. ↑ Kazunari Kita at Soccerway
  2. ↑ 京都サンガF.C.U-18 喜多壱也選手・飯田陸斗選手 トップチーム登録のお知らせ [Kyoto Sanga FCU-18 players Kita Kazunari and Iida Rikuto have been registered for the first team] (in Japanese). Kyoto Sanga FC. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1–3 Gamba Osaka". J. League. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "Refuerzo para el Sanse" [Addition for Sanse] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Firma hasta 2030" [He signs until 2030] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "ソシエダ監督、サンセ加入の19歳DF喜多壱也に期待「高さがあって、展開力、ビルドアップもいい」" [Sociedad manager has high hopes for 19-year-old Sansef Kita Kazuya, who joined the team: "He's tall, has good development skills and is good at building up the attack"] (in Japanese). Gekisaka. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "京都サンガからサッカーU-20日本代表へ。喜多壱也は仲間の思いを背負って「市原吏音がおらん中で」追い求めるDFリーダー像" [From Kyoto Sanga to the U-20 Japan National Team. Kita Kazuya carries the hopes of his teammates and pursues the image of a defensive leader "in the absence of Ichihara Rion"] (in Japanese). Football Channel. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
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