San Sebastian, Spain. A city of pristine beaches and wonderful food, surrounded by mountains and sea, and with the unique Basque culture flowing through its veins.
It is in these laid-back, football loving surroundings that Kazunari Kita finds himself taking the next step in his career, following a summer loan move from J1 League title-chasers Kyoto Sanga to Real Sociedad.
“I’ve only been here just over a month, but I’m slowly getting used to things,” says Kita, smiling. Standing at 6ft 2in and boasting excellent technique, it is little wonder that Kita has been named in the Japanese squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ starting on 27 September.
When asked why he decided to make the move to Spain, he focused simply on his desire to challenge himself. “I’ve always fancied the idea of playing abroad, but it was still a tough decision to make as the offer came in so much earlier than I was expecting,” Kita told FIFA.
“I wasn’t happy with what I’d achieved in two years at Kyoto, and I was concerned that it would look like I was running away, so I spoke to some senior team members about it. They encouraged me and reminded me that this wasn’t the kind of chance that comes along every day. That helped me make my mind up.”
Currently, Kita is playing for Real Sociedad’s B team, who are also known as Sanse. The team were promoted to the Segunda Division last season, meaning more intense challenges, both in the matches and in day-to-day training.
“The level here is really high. The atmosphere in the stadium is always great, and both my team-mates and the opponents are quality players — the matches are so fast-paced, it’s almost like being in a computer game!”
Naturally, the language barrier has proved to be a hurdle, and Kita attends three Spanish classes a week as he gets more accustomed to the language and the culture. “At first, I couldn’t always tell if people were speaking to me in English or Spanish!” he added. “I also still don’t really know the difference between Basque and Spanish but I’m getting lessons and learning more and more, which always feels good.”
By picking up key words to use on the pitch, such as “left,” “right,” “in front,” and “behind,” and making liberal use of hand gestures, Kita has been able to build a mutual understanding with the rest of the team. “I still revert to Japanese when I’m panicking, though! Of course, whenever I don’t understand something, I’m always sure to ask. I’m not the type to just say ‘OK’ when I haven’t quite grasped what someone just said.”
Kita is not the only Japanese player at Real Sociedad; Takefusa Kubo also plays his football in San Sebastian. As well as being a key member of the Samurai Blue, Kubo also appeared at a U-20 World Cup at the tender age of 15, meaning that there is a lot for Kita to learn from him.
“He invited me out for dinner once, and he showed me some useful places to go if I was ever in trouble. Needless to say, I’ve picked up plenty about football from him too!”
With Kubo being a fixture in the first team, the two players have had few chances to meet face to face. Nonetheless, Kubo has made a lot of effort to provide advice on everyday matters, such as food and shopping, as well as on football, which has given his compatriot a lot of encouragement.
“I’m desperate to play alongside him as soon as I can, so I’m enormously motivated to prove myself on the pitch and earn that opportunity. The rest of the team realised what it meant for me, as a Japanese player, to come here, and they helped me to settle in right away. It feels like they’ve been supporting me even before I set foot on the pitch.”
When we turn to talk about the upcoming U-20 World Cup, the excitement is plain to see on Kita’s face. Japan will be in a group with hosts Chile, as well as Egypt and New Zealand. “I’ve always wanted to play in this tournament. It’s not quite my end goal, but if I get to play, I’ll absolutely give it everything on the pitch. No half-measures. I’ve also heard from Takefusa that a lot of people will be watching all around the world,” he said.
“He played at the tournament when he was 15, which was an astonishing feat, and his words carry a lot of weight as someone who has already been there and done it. I also have to keep in mind that there are a lot of people out there who would love to trade places with me. I want to make the most of the fact that I was selected, and I want this to be the next step forward for me.”
Kita also still has strong feelings towards Kyoto Sanga, the club that developed him as a player. While he has struggled to make a break through with the first team, he spent his entire youth career there, and the club has a special place in his heart as the team that gave him his start in the game.
“It may not have been long, but I’d love to be able to give back to them for my development. It would be amazing if I could put in some great performances at the U-20 World Cup so that my old team-mates, the fans and the staff can watch me and see how much I’ve grown,” he said.
Japan reached the final in the 1999 U-20 World Cup, but since then have only once made it past the Round of 16, and their fans will be keen to see them write a new page in their history at the tournament.
“I know it won’t be easy, of course. We have a lot of players currently playing in Europe, including me, although playing abroad isn’t enough to get you selected by itself. There are a ton of brilliant players in Japan too, so competition within the team will be fierce. I think that, as long as we’re all on the same page and we’re all pulling in the same direction, we can be a match for anyone.”
When asked which payers Kita looks up to, the first name he mentioned was Kyoto Sanga team-mate and fellow central defender Yoshinori Suzuki. “When I was younger, I used to admire strikers, and I wanted to become a goalscorer. However, now that I’m a centre-back, I want to become the kind of player who can use his physical attributes, but also play the game intelligently. There are a lot of European defenders who are able to do that, so I’m aiming to be like them.”
As for Suzuki, Kita cites him as an invaluable part of his football education at Kyoto Sanga. “I’m quite tall, so I’m able to contest and win aerial and physical duels. But when I watch Yoshinori, it brings home to me how important it is to be able to defend smartly. Your head isn’t just for hitting the ball with, it’s also for maintaining control in the game. If I could become a defender like him, I’d be very happy.”
Having only just celebrated his 20th birthday, Kita is very much in the infancy of his career. With the help of a reliable senior colleague in Kubo, he is experiencing a new city, new language and new friends as he continues to develop both on and off the pitch. The next stop on his journey will be trying to show his true worth as a player with his performances at the U-20 World Cup.
