Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kashiwa: Hiroki Sakai has become the latest Japanese player to join a club in Germany with the 22-year-old right back joining Hannover 96 from Kashiwa Reysol on a three-year deal.
A product of Kashiwa’s youth academy, Sakai played 66 first-team games for the 2011 J.League champions including seven matches in this year’s AFC Champions League, scoring the first of his two ACL goals in the 3-2 win over Buriram United in Thailand on his continental debut.
Sakai’s move to Hannover sets up the possibility competitive action against a number of compatriots who have already signed for Bundesliga clubs including Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Hajime Hosogai (FC Augsburg on loan from Bayer Leverkusen), Shinji Okazaki (Vfb Stuttgart), Yuki Otsu (Borussia Monchengladbach), Takashi Usami (on loan at 1899 Hoffenheim) and Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), who Hiroki replaced in the 72nd minute of Japan’s 1-1, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw with Australia on Tuesday to earn his third senior international cap.
The 2011 J.League Rookie of the Year is also a mainstay of Japan’s Olympic team having played ten times for the under 23s and is likely to feature prominently at London 2012, where Takashi Sekizuka’s side have been drawn to play Spain, Morocco and Honduras in the group stage.
Photo: AFP