1. Early life and youth career
Ryuji Hirota was born on 16 July 1993, in Takasago City, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. His early football development began at Harima SC, where he played from 1999 to 2004 while attending Harima Elementary School. He then progressed to the youth system of Vissel Kobe, joining their U-15 team from 2006 to 2008 during his time at Harima Junior High School. He continued with Vissel Kobe's U-18 team from 2009 to 2011, concurrently attending Kobe Gakuin University Affiliated High School. In 2011, he was registered as a Type 2 registered player for the Vissel Kobe top team, allowing him to participate in professional matches while still in their youth setup.
2. Club career
Ryuji Hirota's professional club career began in Japan before extending to Thailand and Myanmar, involving several transfers and loan spells across different leagues.
2.1. Senior club career
Hirota formally commenced his senior professional career by signing with Vissel Kobe in 2012, though he did not make any appearances for their top team during his two years there. In 2012, immediately after joining Vissel Kobe, he was loaned to J2 League club FC Gifu, where he made his professional debut on 4 March 2012 in a J2 League match against Gainare Tottori at Gifu Memorial Center Nagaragawa Stadium. He scored his first J.League goal on 15 April 2012 against Giravanz Kitakyushu at the same stadium. During his loan spell at FC Gifu, he played in 22 league matches, scoring 1 goal, and made 1 appearance in the Emperor's Cup.
In January 2013, Hirota moved to Gainare Tottori on loan, also in the J2 League. He featured in 28 league matches, scoring 1 goal. He also participated in 2 matches of the JFL Relegation Playoffs. In 2014, his move to Gainare Tottori became permanent, and he continued to play for them in the J3 League until the end of the 2017 season, when his contract expired. Across his four seasons (2014-2017) as a permanent player at Gainare Tottori, he accumulated 112 league appearances and scored 10 goals.
For the 2018 season, Hirota joined Renofa Yamaguchi FC in the J2 League. However, he did not make any league appearances for the club, playing only 1 match in the Emperor's Cup. He departed Renofa Yamaguchi in December 2018. In 2019, he moved to Iwate Grulla Morioka in the J3 League, where he played in 25 league matches and scored 1 goal, along with 2 appearances in the Emperor's Cup. His tenure there concluded in January 2020.
He then joined JFL club Veertien Mie in 2020, making 4 league appearances before his departure was announced in December 2020. After a period without a club, Hirota moved to Thailand in September 2021, signing with Thai League 3 side Chiangrai City. He played 34 matches and scored 8 goals for the club. In April 2022, he was loaned to Thai League 1 club Chiangrai United, where he made 3 appearances during his loan spell, which lasted until July 2023.
Following his time in Chiangrai, Hirota transferred to Thai League 2 club Chainat Hornbill in August 2023, staying until June 2024. He played in 31 league matches and scored 1 goal for Chainat. In October 2024, Ryuji Hirota moved to Myanmar, joining Myanmar National League club Shan United.
2.2. Career statistics
Updated to 23 February 2020 for Japanese clubs from English source, updated to end of 2023-24 season for all clubs from Japanese source.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup1 | Other2 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Gifu | 2012 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 23 | 1 | |
| Gainare Tottori | 2013 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2014 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2015 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2016 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2017 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 25 | 0 | ||
| Renofa Yamaguchi | 2018 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | 2019 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 27 | 1 | |
| Veertien Mie | 2020 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | ||
| Chiangrai City | 2021 | 34 | 8 | - | - | 34 | 8 | ||
| Chiangrai United | 2022 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Chainat Hornbill | 2023-2024 | 31 | 1 | - | - | 31 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 259 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 273 | 25 | |
1Includes Emperor's Cup appearances and goals.
2Includes JFL Relegation Playoffs.
3. International career
Ryuji Hirota has represented Japan at various youth national football team levels. He was a member of the U-18 Japan National Team and the U-19 Japan National Team. As part of the U-19 squad, he participated in the AFC U-22 Championship 2013 (Qualifiers).
4. See also
- List of people from Hyōgo Prefecture
- Vissel Kobe
- FC Gifu
- Gainare Tottori
- Renofa Yamaguchi FC
- Iwate Grulla Morioka
- Veertien Mie
- List of Japanese football players in Asian football leagues