Kodai Sano (footballer)
Japanese footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kodai Sano (佐野 航大, Sano Kōdai; born 25 September 2003) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club NEC and the Japan national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kodai Sano[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 September 2003[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | NEC | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2018 | FC Viparte | ||
| 2019–2021 | Yonago Kita High School | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Fagiano Okayama | 50 | (5) |
| 2023– | NEC | 84 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Japan U20 | 11 | (2) |
| 2025– | Japan | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Fagiano Okayama
A graduate of the Yonago Kita High School,[2][3] Sano signed his first professional contract with J2 League side Fagiano Okayama in October 2021.[4][5]
He made his professional debut for the club during the 2022 season, scoring three goals in 28 league matches.[3]
NEC
On 14 August 2023, Fagiano Okayama announced that they reached an agreement with Dutch side NEC for the transfer of Sano on a permanent deal;[3][6] the deal was made official three days later, as the player signed a five-year contract with the Eredivisie club.[7][8] In the process, Sano became NEC's second Japanese-born signing of the season, following Koki Ogawa.[8]
He made his debut for the club on 16 September 2023, coming on as a substitute for Rober in the 59th minute of a 4–0 league loss to PSV.[9]
On 17 Jan 2026, Sano would score a dramatic late winner in the third minute of stoppage time in a 4–3 win over NAC Breda in the Eredivisie.[10] This extended NEC's unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches;[11] which started on 9 November 2025 with a 2–0 win over Groningen, where Sano also scored the opener.[12]
International career
Sano has represented Japan at under-20 level, having taken part in both the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[13]
Personal life
Sano is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer Kaishu Sano.[4]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 17 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fagiano Okayama | 2022 | J2 League | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 48 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 50 | 5 | |||
| NEC | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 25 | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 1 | 28 | 3 | ||||
| 2025–26 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 84 | 10 | 13 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 98 | 11 | ||||
| Career total | 132 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 148 | 17 | ||
- Notes
- Includes Emperor's Cup, KNVB Cup
- Includes J. League Cup
- Appearances in the J1 League promotion-relegation playoffs
- Appearance in the European play-offs
International
- As of match played 29 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |