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 le ...

who plays as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Yokohama F. Marinos in the

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

Youth career

Starting out as a forward for his elementary school, Nagato was advised by his junior high school manager to convert to a left-back – the position he still currently plays. He went on to study at the same school as his older brother, Yachiyo High School. Nagato and the team advanced to a couple of national championships, although they were knocked out in the first round of both. Nagato then went on to study and play for Hosei University – making 75 appearances and scoring 7 goals between 2013 and 2016.

Club career

In 2016, it was announced he would be joining

side

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...

. He made his debut in February 2017, playing 89 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Kashiwa Reysol, before being replaced by

Tatsuya Masushima is a Japanese former football player. Career After three seasons playing for JEF United Chiba, Masushima retired in December 2020. National team career In June 2005, Masushima was selected Japan U-20 national team for 2005 World Youth Champio ...

. He went on to make 17 appearances for the club in his debut preofessional season. In 2018, Nagato appeared in 29 games but only started 13 of those, struggling to hold down a place in the team. Manager Susumu Watanabe mainly played with a back three, with more attacking players Kunimitsu Sekiguchi and

Yoshihiro Nakano is a Japanese footballer who plays for Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier ...

often preferred on the left-hand side. Vegalta Sendai made it to the final of the

2018 Emperor's Cup The was the 2018 edition of the annual Japanese national football cup tournament, which began on 26 May 2018 and ended with the final on 9 December 2018 at the Saitama Stadium 2002. The final was held earlier than the usual date of 1 January due ...

, losing 1-0 in the final to Urawa Red Diamonds where Nagano was an unused substitute. He made two appearances in the competition. Throughout the 2019 season, Nagato played in almost every game for Vegalta. Manager Watanabe initially deployed him as the left-sided centre back in his preferred back three, but he moved back to his favoured left-back position when a back four was introduced later in the season. He also scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 league win over Gamba Osaka, with a deflected shot from outside of the box. Nagato impressed as a goal provider, especially from corners, racking up 10 league assists which was second only to

Teruhito Nakagawa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for club FC Tokyo. Club career Early career Born in Kanagawa, Nakagawa was educated at and played for Senshu University prior to joining Yokohama F. Marinos. In 20 ...

of Yokohama F. Marinos. Vegalta finished in 11th position in the league, exactly the same as in the 2018 season. In 2020, Nagato left Vegalta Sendai to join

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...

, taking the number 14 shirt. Nagato made his first appearance in a continental competition in January, playing in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs, where Kashima fell to a 1-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory. The game was also his debut for Kashima, but he unfortunately missed a penalty in the defeat. He made 22 appearances in his first season in Kashima, despite missing a number of games at the end of the season after testing positive for COVID-19 in November 2020.

Career statistics

Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)"
7 February 2018, Japan, (p. 96 out of 289) ;Notes

Honours

Vegalta Sendai *

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Runners-up

References

External links

* *
Profile at Vegalta SendaiProfile at Kashima Antlers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagato, Katsuya 1995 births People from Sakura, Chiba Association football people from Chiba Prefecture Living people Association football defenders Japanese footballers Vegalta Sendai players Kashima Antlers players category:Yokohama F. Marinos players J1 League players