1. Early Life and Youth Career
Sho Ito's early life and youth career laid the foundation for his professional football journey, marked by both athletic diversity and early recognition in football.
1.1. Early Life and Background
Born on July 24, 1988, in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Sho Ito grew up with his parents and a younger brother. In his elementary school days, he was also actively involved in a swimming school, where he achieved notable awards.
1.2. Youth Football Career
Ito attended Kasugai City Chubu Junior High School. From the age of 15, he was consistently selected for various age-group national teams. He played for FC.Fervor Aichi before enrolling at Chukyo University Chukyo High School, where he served as the captain during his third year. In August 2006, Ito participated in a trial test with English club Arsenal. He significantly impressed then-manager Arsène Wenger, who reportedly praised him by comparing him to Thierry Henry. This comparison quickly led to Ito being widely featured in Japanese media, earning him the nickname "Japanese Henry."
Later that year, in November, he was selected as a member of the Japan U-19 team for the AFC Youth Championship 2006, though he did not score any goals in the tournament. A month later, he also competed in the High School Soccer Championship, where despite considerable attention, he again failed to score and his team was eliminated in the second round. Ultimately, his work permit application for Arsenal did not materialize, leading him to explore opportunities in France.
2. Club Career
Sho Ito's professional club career began in France before he returned to Japan, where he established himself as a prominent forward for several J.League clubs.
2.1. Grenoble Foot 38
After his high school career, Sho Ito signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the French second-division club Grenoble Foot 38 in January 2007. This move was notably publicized as it marked the first instance of a Japanese high school player signing a professional contract directly with an overseas club without first playing for a domestic J.League team.
However, Ito found playing opportunities limited at Grenoble. In his debut 2006-07 season, he made only one appearance, followed by three appearances in the 2007-08 season, without scoring any goals in either. For the 2008-09 season, Grenoble was promoted to Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, but Ito did not make any appearances, including in cup competitions. He finally made his Ligue 1 debut on May 5, 2010, but this was his only appearance for the 2009-10 season, after which he departed Grenoble.
2.2. Shimizu S-Pulse
In June 2010, Sho Ito returned to Japan, signing a two-year contract with Shimizu S-Pulse. His official debut came on November 13, 2010, when he started in an Emperor's Cup third-round match against Mito HollyHock. In the 2010 season, he made two appearances in the league and two in the Emperor's Cup.
During the 2011 season, then-manager Afshin Ghotbi started Ito in several matches at the beginning of the season. He played in eight matches during the first half of the season, starting seven of them. However, he subsequently suffered a right knee injury, which required surgery in September due to a lack of improvement. Ito returned to play on October 23, coming on as a substitute in the 40th minute of a match against Ventforet Kofu. In the final match of the season against Gamba Osaka, he started and scored his first J.League goal with a header in the ninth minute of the first half.
In the 2012 season, Ito maintained good form during the training camp and featured in matches as a starter or substitute early on. However, due to competition for his position from new signings such as Ryohei Shirasaki, Jimmy Douglas França, and Yuji Senuma, he mostly made substitute appearances or played in cup competitions. His contract was extended by six months in June of that year. Despite the continued competition, Ito went through the entire season without a major injury for the first time since 2008, accumulating his highest number of appearances, including cup matches.
The 2013 season saw Ito often on the bench or not in the squad, but he gradually earned more playing time towards the end of the season. He achieved his first career hat-trick in a match against Sagan Tosu. He started 14 of the 34 league matches and scored six league goals.

2.3. Yokohama F. Marinos
On January 14, 2014, Sho Ito completed a permanent transfer to Yokohama F. Marinos. He started the 2014 season strongly, scoring in his debut AFC Champions League match and the opening match of the J1 League. He maintained good form throughout the first half of the season. However, he struggled to find goals in the league during the latter half, leading to him being temporarily dropped from the starting lineup. Towards the end of the season, he regained his form, scoring in three consecutive matches. For the entire season, he was a regular starter, scoring eight goals in 26 appearances.
In the 2018 season, Ito became the top scorer in the Levain Cup with eight goals. His strong performance contributed to a career-high of 17 goals across all competitions in 2018.
2.4. Kashima Antlers
In 2019, Sho Ito transferred permanently to Kashima Antlers. He made his debut for the club on February 19 in an AFC Champions League playoff match against Newcastle United Jets FC, where he also scored a goal. Although he continued to score frequently, his playing time decreased mid-season as he was often relegated to a substitute role. In the subsequent 2020 season, his appearances were limited to 14 matches, with only three starts.
2.5. Yokohama FC
In 2021, Ito made a permanent move to Yokohama FC.
2.5.1. Matsumoto Yamaga FC Loan
On August 4, 2021, while under contract with Yokohama FC, Sho Ito was loaned to Matsumoto Yamaga FC until December of that year. After the conclusion of his loan spell, he returned to Yokohama FC for the 2022 season. He continued to play for Yokohama FC in 2023, making 26 appearances and scoring 2 goals, and in 2024, with 33 appearances and 7 goals.
3. International Career
Sho Ito has represented Japan at various youth national team levels, showcasing his potential from an early age.
He was part of the U-15 Japan national team in 2003. In 2004, he played for the U-16 Japan national team, participating in the AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers. The following year, in 2005, he was a member of both the U-17 Japan national team at the Sanix Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament and the U-18 Japan national team at the SBS Cup.
In 2006, Ito was selected for the U-19 Japan national team for the AFC Youth Championship. In the qualifiers for the 2006 AFC Youth Championship (played by the U-18 team), he made one substitute appearance. In the main tournament, he made two substitute appearances, contributing to Japan's runner-up finish, though he did not score in either competition.
4. Playing Style and Personal Attributes
Sho Ito is primarily known as a forward. Despite being frequently referred to as the "Japanese Henry" early in his career, in reference to his trial with Arsenal and Arsène Wenger's praise comparing him to Thierry Henry, Ito himself has stated that his footballing idol is not Henry, but rather the French legend Zinedine Zidane. This anecdote highlights his individual preference and possibly a broader admiration for different aspects of the game beyond just goal-scoring prowess.
5. Career Statistics
Sho Ito's professional career statistics offer a comprehensive overview of his appearances and goals across various clubs and competitions, both domestically and internationally.
5.1. Club Statistics
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Grenoble | 2006-07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
2007-08 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | ||
2008-09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
2009-10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
Shimizu S-Pulse | 2010 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | |
2011 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | 15 | 2 | ||
2012 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 19 | 3 | ||
2013 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 29 | 6 | ||
Total | 49 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 11 | |
Yokohama F. Marinos | 2014 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 9 |
2015 | 29 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | 38 | 9 | ||
2016 | 32 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 42 | 8 | ||
2017 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | 21 | 6 | ||
2018 | 26 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | - | 38 | 17 | ||
Total | 134 | 29 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 178 | 49 | |
Kashima Antlers | 2019 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 43 | 16 |
2020 | 14 | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 3 | ||
Total | 40 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 60 | 19 | |
Yokohama FC | 2021 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 20 | 1 | |
2022 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 25 | 6 | |||
2023 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 31 | 3 | ||
2024 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 34 | 7 | ||
Total | 99 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 17 | |
Matsumoto Yamaga FC (loan) | 2021 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 18 | 4 | |
Career total | 345 | 64 | 51 | 18 | 32 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 449 | 99 |
5.2. International Statistics
Ito has also participated in several international youth tournaments and playoff matches.
Team | Competition Category | Appearances | Goals | Team Record | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starts | Sub | ||||
Japan U-18 | AFC Youth Championship 2006 qualification | 0 | 1 | 0 | Qualified |
Japan U-19 | AFC Youth Championship 2006 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Runners-Up |
Additionally, Ito has made appearances in other international official matches:
- In 2019, he played in one AFC Champions League playoff match, scoring one goal.
- In 2020, he played in one AFC Champions League playoff match, with no goals.