is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender for club Fagiano Okayama.

Youth career

Saga was a good player at junior high school level and was even selected for a Japan U-15 training camp. After graduating from junior high, there was interest from some J.League clubs but Saga decided to go to Aomori Yamada High School. Saga was an important player for the school, as they reached the semi-final of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament in 2016 and won the competition in 2017 with a convincing 5–0 victory in the final. Saga started every game in the competition scoring three goals and scored his team's second goal in the final itself. Aomori Yamada also were champions of the Prince Takamado Cup U-18 Football League in 2016 after beating Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth in the final, with Saga playing in every one of their games throughout the competition. Following graduation from high school in 2017, Saga went on to Sendai University. In his third year, he was appointed captain and was part of the team that both beat JFL team

Iwaki FC is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, Fukushima, Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club will play in J2 League from 2023 season, which is the 2nd level in the Japanese football pyramid. History Founder Club Iwaki FC wa ...

in the first round of the

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 ...

where he scored their second goal and narrowly lost in the second round to

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 ...

club Yokohama FC.

Club career

Iwaki FC

In December 2020, it was announced that Saga would be signing for JFL team

for the 2021 season. He made his debut for the team in March in a 2–1 league victory over Veertien Mie and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with

ReinMeer Aomori is a Japanese football club based in Aomori, the capital city of Aomori Prefecture. They play in the Japan Football League. Their team colour is blue. History Founded in 1995, ReinMeer Aomori was managed by Aomori City Football Association p ...

. At the end of the 2021 season, Saga had participated in all 32 games and scored 8 goals, helping Iwaki FC gain promotion to the

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan. The third-tier nationwide league is a relatively recent development in Japanese football with a first attempt ...

. He was named as Rookie of the Year and was also inducted into the 2021 JFL Best XI. In the 2022 season, Saga scored on his J.League debut in a 1–1 draw with

Kagoshima United is a Japanese professional football club based in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan that was formed from the merger of ''Volca Kagoshima'' and ''FC Kagoshima''. Both clubs played in the Kyushu Soccer League before the merger. Their top team ...

. Another excellent season ensued for him as he helped Iwaki to back-to-back promotions, playing in all 34 of their league games and scoring 5 goals. For the second season running, Saga was inducted into the league's Best XI. In the 2023 season, Saga only made 20 appearances but did score his first J2 League goal in a 3–2 loss to Fujieda MYFC. His playing time was further reduced in the 2024 season, only making seven appearances in the first half of the season.

Fagiano Okayama

In July 2024, it was announced that Saga would be transferring to fellow J2 League club Fagiano Okayama.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

; Iwaki FC * Japan Football League :

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

; Individual *JFL Rookie of the Year: 2021 *JFL Best XI: 2021 * J3 League Best XI:

References

External links

Profile at Iwaki FCProfile at J.League
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saga, Riku 1998 births Living people Japanese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Association football people from Aomori Prefecture Sendai University alumni Iwaki FC players Fagiano Okayama players J3 League players J2 League players