Kodai Sano
Midfield - Central Midfield
at NEC Nijmegen
at NEC Nijmegen
1,011 days · joined 2023-08-17
👕100+ Apps
Market value
€4.00m
Central Midfield Midfield
Career snapshot
2
clubs played for
2022
debut season
0.12
goals / match
NEC Nijmegen
top club · 63 apps
Career highs
€5.00m
peak value · 2024
—
top transfer fee
6
best season · 23/24
—
int'l / penalties
Born the same day
Shares 2003-09-25 · 6 players total
113Appearances
14Goals
11Assists
13Yellow cards
1Red cards
39Full matches (90′)
| Full name | Kodai Sano |
|---|---|
| Name in home country | 佐野 航大 |
| Date of birth | 2003-09-25 (22 yrs) |
| Place of birth | Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan |
| Citizenship |  Japan |
| Position | Midfield - Central Midfield (main: Midfield) |
| Foot | right |
| Height | 176.00 m |
| Current club | NEC Nijmegen |
| Joined | 2023-08-17 |
| Contract expires | 2028-06-30 |
| Agent | UDN SPORTS |
Jul 2025
25/26 — NEC Nijmegen
4 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 1 competition
Jan 2025
Injury: unknown
10 games missed
Jul 2024
24/25 — NEC Nijmegen
28 matches · 3 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Aug 2023
Transfer: Fagiano Okayama → NEC Nijmegen
23/24 · Transfer
Jul 2023
2023 — Fagiano Okayama
21 matches · 2 G · 4 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2023
23/24 — NEC Nijmegen
31 matches · 6 G · 3 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2022
2022 — Fagiano Okayama
29 matches · 3 G · 2 A · across 2 competitions
Feb 2022
Transfer: Yonago Kita HS → Fagiano Okayama
21/22 · Transfer
Jan 1970
Peak market value: €5.00m
Highest valuation recorded in dataset
Minutes played by club
NEC Nijmegen
60.3%
Fagiano Okayama
39.7%
| Club | Seasons | First | Last | Matches | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEC Nijmegen | 3 | 23/24 | 25/26 | 63 | 9 | 5 | 2,103 |
| Fagiano Okayama | 2 | 2022 | 2023 | 50 | 5 | 6 | 1,384 |
Career trajectory — goals, assists & market value
Goals by season
Assists by season
| Season | Competition | Club | Matches | Goals | Assists | YC | RC | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25/26 | Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24/25 | Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | 25 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 988 |
| 24/25 | KNVB Beker | NEC Nijmegen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 24/25 | Play-Offs Conference League | NEC Nijmegen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 |
| 23/24 | Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | 24 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 398 |
| 23/24 | KNVB Beker | NEC Nijmegen | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 522 |
| 23/24 | Play-Offs Conference League | NEC Nijmegen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 |
| 2023 | Emperor's Cup | Fagiano Okayama | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 20 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 864 |
| 2022 | J1 Play-off | Fagiano Okayama | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 28 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 520 |
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Market value | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21/22 | 2022-02-01 | Yonago Kita HS | Fagiano Okayama | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 23/24 | 2023-08-17 | Fagiano Okayama | NEC Nijmegen | Transfer | 450000 | — |
| Season | Injury | From | To | Days missed | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 | Metatarsal fracture | 2025-01-20 | 2025-03-29 | 69 | 10 |
Current€4.00m
Peak€5.00m
Low€150k
Δ since start+€3.85m
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan 1, 1970 | €4.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €4.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €4.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €5.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €450k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €350k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €450k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €150k |
No national team data.
| Teammate | PPG played with | Joint goals | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Verdonk | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasutaka Yanagi | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mees Hoedemakers | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Sontje Hansen | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Yudai Tanaka | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryosuke Kawano | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Daiki Hotta | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Haruka Motoyama | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Robin Roefs | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Yosuke Kawai | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiago Alves | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Stefan Mauk | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Taishi Semba | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Iván Márquez | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Single-season peaks across competitions in this player's career.
Top goalscoring seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23/24 | Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | 4 | 24 |
| 2022 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 3 | 28 |
| 2023 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 2 | 20 |
Top assist seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 4 | 20 |
| 23/24 | Eredivisie | NEC Nijmegen | 3 | 24 |
| 2022 | J2 League | Fagiano Okayama | 2 | 28 |
Auto-detected milestones based on cumulative career totals.
| Season / Year | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Senior debut season | |
| 2022 | First senior goal |
Yellow / second-yellow / red cards per season. Only seasons with at least one card are shown.
| Season | Matches | Mins | YC | 2nd YC | RC | Cards / 90′ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 | 28 | 1,093 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.49 |
| 23/24 | 31 | 1,010 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.36 |
| 2023 | 21 | 864 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.31 |
| 2022 | 29 | 520 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.17 |
Output by competition
Career goals and assists broken down by tournament.
Eredivisie
53 apps
6 G
5 A
J2 League
48 apps
5 G
6 A
Play-Offs Conference League
2 apps
2 G
0 A
KNVB Beker
8 apps
1 G
0 A
More on Kodai Sano
Explore this player's career through different angles.
Similar players
Same position, similar age, sorted by market value.
Frequently asked about Kodai Sano
Who is Kodai Sano?
Kodai Sano is a Japan professional footballer who plays as a central midfield for NEC Nijmegen.
How old is Kodai Sano?
Kodai Sano is 22 years old. He was born on September 25, 2003 in Tsuyama, Okayama.
What position does Kodai Sano play?
Kodai Sano plays as a central midfield (Midfield - Central Midfield).
What club does Kodai Sano play for?
Kodai Sano currently plays for NEC Nijmegen.
How many career goals has Kodai Sano scored?
Across all senior club competitions in our dataset, Kodai Sano has scored 14 goals in 113 appearances.
What is Kodai Sano's market value?
Kodai Sano's most recent reported market value is €4.00m.