Sota Kitano was born on 13 August 2004 in Wakayama and rose through Cerezo Osaka's academy — a system that has produced many of Japan's most refined attacking talents. He made his J1 League debut as a teenager and showed flashes of his trademark close control, intelligent off-ball runs and finishing ability across his early seasons. By 2024 he was a regular, registering 18 J1 appearances and 2 goals.
In the first half of 2025 Kitano produced his breakthrough campaign, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists in 19 J1 League matches for Cerezo. In June 2025 Red Bull Salzburg signed him — a bold European move into one of Europe's most prolific talent-development systems. The transition has been spectacular: 23 Austrian Bundesliga appearances with 6 goals and 4 assists in his half-season, plus appearances in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, the UEFA Europa League (where he provided an assist), the Austrian Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
A 172cm attacking midfielder/false 9 with exceptional dribbling, vision and the technical security to play between the lines, Kitano represents the next generation of Japanese creative attackers. He earned his senior Japan A-team debut in 2025 and is a strong candidate for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as a high-upside attacking option.