Taichi Kato
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 April 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Ehime, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Nagoya Grampus | ||
| 2016–2019 | Meiji University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Ehime FC | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Gamba Osaka (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | Gamba Osaka | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:56, 22 July 2023 (UTC) | |||
Taichi Kato (加藤 大智, Kato Taichi; born 14 April 1997) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Ehime FC and Gamba Osaka before retiring at the end of the 2022 season aged 25.[1][2]
Kato began his career at Nagoya Grampus, appearing for both their U-15 and U-18 academies.[3] He then went on to study at Meiji University between 2016 and 2019 – helping them win the 2019 Japan College Prime Ministers Cup in a 2–1 victory over Hosei University.[4] In November 2019, it was announced that Kato would be joining J2 League team Ehime FC for the 2020 season.[5][6] He made his professional debut in September 2020 in a league victory over Tokyo Verdy, keeping a clean sheet in their 1–0 win.[7] He went on to play a further three times in the 2020 season.
In April 2021, he moved on loan to J1 League club Gamba Osaka,[8] before completing a permanent transfer to the club in December 2021.[9] He made five appearances for the club throughout the 2022 season.
Kato was released by Gamba Osaka at the end of the 2022 season.[10] He took part in the J.League tryouts to help out of contract players find a new club, however the tryout was unsuccessful.[11] After making only four league appearances in his career, decided to retire from professional football in February 2023.[1] In March 2023, Kato was appointed as a coach at Nagoya Grampus' soccer school – the club where he began his career.[3]
