is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player.

Playing career

Kitamoto was born in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

on September 18, 1981. After graduating from high school, he joined

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 ...

club

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home match ...

in 2000. He debuted in 2001 and became a regular player as center back in 2002. Although Vissel played in

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

in 2006 season, played in J1 for a long time. He also played many matches as regular player for a long time. However Vissel was relegated to J2 again end of 2012 season. Although the club was promoted to J1 in a year, his opportunity to play decreased from 2013 season. After 19 years at

, Kitamoto left the club after the 2018 season.

Club statistics

Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"2016J1&J2&J3選手名鑑"
10 February 2016, Japan, (p. 98 out of 289)

References

External links

* * 1981 births Living people Association football people from Nara Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Vissel Kobe players Men's association football defenders Sportspeople from Nara, Nara {{Japan-footy-defender-1980s-stub