Hitoshi Shiota

1.1. Childhood and Education

Born on May 28, 1981, in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, Shiota started playing football at the age of eight, during his second year of elementary school. He joined the Hidaka Tajiri Soccer Sports Boys' Club. In junior high school, he transitioned to playing as a goalkeeper, a position he would maintain throughout his career. During his youth, he participated in the National Sports Festival football competition twice, showcasing his early talent and commitment to the sport. He attended Hitachi Shiritsu Namikawa Junior High School and Mito Tanki Daigaku Fuzoku High School.

1.2. University and Special Designation

In 2000, Shiota enrolled at Ryutsu Keizai University and joined its football club. His exceptional skills as a goalkeeper quickly earned him recognition, with coach 中野雄二_{Nakano Yuji}^Japanese praising him as the "No.1 goalkeeper I have ever coached." From his first year at university, Shiota was selected for the Kanto University Selection team. In 2003, during his fourth year, he was chosen for the All Japan University Selection to represent Japan at the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, South Korea. As the starting goalkeeper, he played a crucial role in securing consecutive titles for Japan, outperforming fellow selected goalkeepers 橋田聡司_{Hashida Satoshi}^Japanese and 杉山哲_{Sugiyama Tetsu}^Japanese. In the same year, from April to August, he was registered as a Special Designated Player for Yokohama F. Marinos, allowing him to gain experience with a professional J.League club while still attending university.

2.1. FC Tokyo

After garnering attention from multiple clubs, Shiota joined FC Tokyo in 2004 following his university graduation. In his debut year, he was instrumental in FC Tokyo's J.League Cup campaign, starting in eight matches up to the semi-finals. He filled the void left by the absence of regular goalkeeper 土肥洋一_{Doi Yoichi}^Japanese, who was on national team duty, and significantly contributed to the team reaching the final. However, Doi started the final match against Urawa Red Diamonds, which FC Tokyo won, with Doi also earning the Most Valuable Player award.

Shiota continued as Doi's understudy. On August 22, 2005, he suffered a severe right shoulder traumatic dislocation, requiring surgery and an estimated six months for recovery. During this period, teammate {{lang|ja|宮沢正史|Miyazawa Masashi}} imparted valuable advice, emphasizing the importance of balancing the desire for playing time with a commitment to the team's success, which became a guiding principle for Shiota.

On November 26, 2006, Shiota made his J1 League debut in a match against Urawa Reds at Ajinomoto Stadium. This was a high-stakes game, as Urawa's championship title was on the line, and it also featured the retirement ceremony of veteran player 三浦文丈_{Miura Fumiaki}^Japanese. Furthermore, Shiota's appearance broke Doi's long-standing record of consecutive league appearances. Despite the immense pressure, Shiota delivered a brave performance, keeping a clean sheet and preventing Urawa from clinching the championship on that day.

In 2007, Shiota successfully displaced Doi to become FC Tokyo's starting goalkeeper, a development that was considered a major asset for the team. Following Doi's departure in 2008, Shiota was entrusted with the number "1" jersey and played every minute of all league matches that season.

His career faced a setback in January 2009 when he fell ill during a training camp in Guam, initially diagnosed as heatstroke. A week later, it was identified as necrotizing appendicitis, leading to hospitalization and surgery. Complications arose with paralytic ileus, forcing him to remain hospitalized for one and a half months. This illness caused him to miss the opening match of the season, with the starting position going to 20-year-old 権田修一_{Gonda Shuichi}^Japanese. Shiota was discharged on March 19 and began rehabilitation, partially rejoining team training in April. He made his return to the starting lineup on July 29 in the second leg of the J.League Cup semi-final against Nagoya Grampus, but he was unable to reclaim the regular position from Gonda.

In 2010, Shiota continued as Gonda's backup. Despite the team's relegation to J2 League and the expiration of his contract, he received offers from multiple J1 clubs but chose to remain with FC Tokyo. In 2011, while initially still a backup, Shiota became the starting goalkeeper when Gonda was called up for the London Olympics qualifiers. He maintained an intense competition for the starting role throughout the season and recorded the lowest defensive rate in the league that year. From 2005 to 2011, Shiota also served as the player chairman for FC Tokyo and as a branch representative for the Japan Pro-Footballers Association.

From 2012 onwards, Shiota returned to his role as the second-choice goalkeeper. However, his tactical awareness and coaching abilities were highly valued, leading to frequent starts in cup matches over Gonda and other players. In 2013, he provided crucial support to the team as its oldest Japanese player. Shiota departed FC Tokyo at the end of the 2014 season, concluding an eleven-year tenure with the club.

2.2. Omiya Ardija

On November 30, 2014, Shiota made a permanent transfer to Omiya Ardija, then in the J2 League. Upon his arrival, he engaged in a fierce competition for the starting goalkeeper position with 加藤順大_{Kato Norihiro}^Japanese. Although Kato eventually established himself as the regular starter, Shiota was temporarily given the nod late in the 2015 season to help halt the team's losing streak. During these appearances, he delivered strong performances with crucial saves, helping Omiya Ardija break their stagnation. Despite limited playing time, his presence was highly influential, and he contributed significantly to the team's overall strengthening and eventual promotion back to the J1 League.

In 2016, Shiota was selected to start the opening match of the season, replacing Kato. In a poignant encounter against his former club, FC Tokyo, he kept a clean sheet, securing a victory for Omiya Ardija. He later conceded the starting position back to Kato but regained it due to Kato's injury, establishing himself as the regular.

However, in 2017, with Kato's return from injury, Shiota was demoted to the second goalkeeper. At times, he even found himself off the bench due to the emergence of 松井謙弥_{Matsui Kenshin}^Japanese, and the team was subsequently relegated to the J2 League. In 2018, while Kato was demoted to third choice and 笠原昂史_{Kasahara Akifumi}^Japanese became the primary goalkeeper, Shiota consistently served as the second-choice goalkeeper, making 10 appearances. In 2019, his playing time was further limited to five matches due to the continued rise of Kasahara and 加藤有輝_{Kato Yuki}^Japanese.

2.3. Tochigi SC

In 2020, Shiota transferred to Tochigi SC. Initially, he was the backup to Shuhei Kawata for the opening match, but he quickly established himself as the regular starter. Later in the season, injuries and the arrival of オビ・パウエル・オビンナ_{Obi Pauweru Obinna}^Japanese saw his playing time decrease. However, upon recovering from his injury, he once again reclaimed his regular starting position.

2.4. Urawa Reds

On December 28, 2020, Shiota joined Urawa Red Diamonds on a permanent transfer, alongside his Tochigi SC teammate 明本考浩_{Akimoto Takahiro}^Japanese. At Urawa Reds, he served as the third-choice goalkeeper, providing backup to 西川周作_{Nishikawa Shusaku}^Japanese and {{lang|ja|鈴木彩艶|Suzuki Zaion}}, primarily featuring as a reserve in cup competitions. On December 22, 2021, Hitoshi Shiota announced his retirement from professional football.

3.1. Universiade Representation

Shiota's national team experience began with his selection for the Ibaraki Prefecture National Sports Festival Youth team in 1998 and 1999. He was also a consistent member of the Kanto University Selection team in 2000, 2002, and 2003. His most significant international achievement came in 2003 when he was part of the All Japan University Selection that represented Japan at the Universiade football competition during the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, South Korea. As the starting goalkeeper, Shiota played a pivotal role in the team's success, contributing to Japan's gold medal victory in the tournament.

5.1. Club Honors

• Ryutsu Keizai University
  • Kanto University Soccer League Division 2: 2003
• FC Tokyo
  • J.League Cup: 2004, 2009
  • Suruga Bank Championship: 2010
  • J2 League: 2011
  • Emperor's Cup: 2011
• Omiya Ardija
  • J2 League: 2015
• Urawa Red Diamonds
  • Emperor's Cup: 2021

5.2. Representative Honors

• Universiade Japan National Team
  • Universiade Football: 2003 (Gold Medal)

5.3. Individual Honors

• Denso Challenge Cup Excellent Player: 2002
• Kanto University Soccer League Division 2 Best Eleven: 2003