Yuto Nagatomo was born on 12 September 1986 in Saijo, Ehime, and came up through high-school football, attending Higashifukuoka High School and Meiji University. He signed with FC Tokyo in 2008 and quickly became one of the most explosive left-backs in J1 — pace, stamina and a relentless attacking instinct that has defined his career across two decades.
In summer 2010 Nagatomo moved to Italy with Cesena on loan, then on a permanent move. Six months later, in February 2011, Inter Milan signed him for around €4.5 million. He spent seven years at Inter, winning the Coppa Italia in 2010–11, before moving to Galatasaray in 2018, where he won back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2017–18 and 2018–19. After a season at Marseille in 2020–21, he returned to Japan with FC Tokyo on a free transfer in September 2021.
Now in his late thirties, Nagatomo continues to be a J1 starter for FC Tokyo. In 2025, at 39 years old, he played 26 J1 League matches and helped Japan win the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship — extraordinary longevity for a top-flight defender.
For Japan, Nagatomo has appeared at four FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022), won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and is one of Japan's most-capped players ever. His unmatched stamina, professional standards and infectious energy have made him one of the most beloved figures in Japanese football, irrespective of generation.