Tsukasa Shiotani

1.1. Birthplace and Upbringing

Shiotani was born on December 5, 1988, in Komatsushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. His early football journey began in his hometown, where he developed his foundational skills.

1.2. Education and Youth Career

Shiotani started his youth career playing for Minami Komatsushima FC and Omatsu SC during his elementary school years. In junior high, he joined Otsuka FC Junior Youth, which is now part of Tokushima Vortis. During this period, he was relatively unknown in the football scene.

In 2004, he enrolled at Tokushima Prefectural Tokushima Commercial High School. As a first and second-year student, he participated in the National High School Football Championship as a midfielder. His performance in these championships led to him being scouted by Kokushikan University on a sports scholarship.

He entered Kokushikan University in 2007, joining the university's football club. Despite playing as a volante and left-sided midfielder, he struggled to secure a regular starting position. A significant turning point came in 2009 when his father passed away, leading him to consider dropping out of university and finding employment. However, he was persuaded to stay by Kokushikan University coach Sanji Hosoda. In 2010, Tetsuji Hashiratani joined Kokushikan University as a coach, and it was under his guidance that Shiotani was converted to a centre-back. This positional change proved pivotal, as he secured a regular spot in the team. Despite his improved performance, he did not receive any offers from J.League clubs upon graduation, with only JFL club Sagawa Shiga FC expressing interest.

2.1. Mito HollyHock

In 2011, Tsukasa Shiotani joined Mito HollyHock in the J2 League, following an invitation from Tetsuji Hashiratani, who had become the club's manager. Mito HollyHock had experienced a mass exodus of key players the previous year, leading to a large intake of new university graduates. In this rebuilding phase, Shiotani was immediately thrust into a regular starting role, making his debut in the opening match of the season on March 5, 2011, against Kyoto Sanga FC at K's denki Stadium Mito. He quickly grew into a leader within the defensive line. He earned the nickname "Derby Man" for scoring goals in three matches against Tochigi SC in the Kitakanto Derby. His first J.League goal came on August 21, 2011, in a J2 League match against FC Gifu at Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium. Towards the end of 2011, he contributed to Mito HollyHock's first-ever victory against a J1 League team, Gamba Osaka, in the Emperor's Cup. He continued to be a central figure for Mito HollyHock during the 2012 season. His strong performances attracted interest from J1 League clubs, including Omiya Ardija, Shimizu S-Pulse, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima. In August 2012, he made a permanent transfer to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. This move was influenced by Hashiratani's recommendation to Hajime Moriyasu, the manager of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, as both were members of the Hans Ooft-led Japan national team during the Doha Tragedy era.

2.2. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (First Spell)

Upon his initial transfer to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in August 2012, Shiotani's playing time was limited, serving primarily as a backup to Ryota Moriwaki and appearing in only three league matches. However, his fortunes changed significantly in 2013 after Moriwaki transferred to Urawa Red Diamonds. Shiotani established himself as a starter in Sanfrecce's three-back defensive system, filling Moriwaki's void and exceeding expectations. Alongside Kazuhiko Chiba and Hiroki Mizumoto, he played in all 34 league matches, making a substantial contribution to the team's consecutive J1 League titles in 2012 and 2013.

In 2014, Shiotani further developed his offensive capabilities, scoring four goals by the sixth match of the season, including a notable goal against Nagoya Grampus. He finished the league season with six goals and was selected for the J.League Best Eleven. Despite receiving an offer from FC Tokyo during the offseason, he committed to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, signing a new five-year contract with the ambition of representing Japan at the FIFA World Cup while playing for the club. In 2015, he played a pivotal role as a key player, helping Sanfrecce Hiroshima secure another J1 League championship.

2.3. Al Ain FC

On June 15, 2017, Shiotani made a permanent transfer to Al Ain FC, a prominent club in the United Arab Emirates. The transfer fee was reported by local media, including 'albayan', to be around 1.50 M USD, equivalent to approximately 165.00 M JPY. On September 30, he scored his first goal for the club in a match against Al Ahli Dubai during the third round of the league season.

In 2018, Shiotani played a crucial role in Al Ain's historic run in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. He played the full 90 minutes in all four matches, scoring two goals, including a memorable goal against Real Madrid in the final. His contributions helped Al Ain achieve their best-ever performance in the tournament, finishing as runners-up. His total goal tally in the FIFA Club World Cup reached four, placing him among the overall top goalscorers in the tournament's history, tied for sixth place as of the end of the 2021 tournament. On June 12, 2021, Al Ain announced Shiotani's departure from the club.

2.4. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Second Spell)

On October 1, 2021, it was announced that Tsukasa Shiotani would return to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, marking his reunion with the club after a four-year absence. He was assigned jersey number 3. From the 2023 season, his jersey number was changed to 33. Since his return, Shiotani has continued to contribute to the team's performance, notably winning the 2022 J.League Cup with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

3.1. Olympic Team

In August 2016, Shiotani was selected as an over-age player for the Japan U-23 national team to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He played as a centre-back alongside Naomichi Ueda, completing the full 90 minutes in all three group stage matches. Despite his presence, the team was eliminated in the group stage. His performance during the tournament faced criticism, with observations noting his struggles in an unfamiliar environment, issues with maintaining distance from his defensive partner Ueda, and a tendency to choose risky passes during build-up play.

3.2. Senior National Team

Shiotani first caught the eye of then-Japan national team manager Alberto Zaccheroni and was called up for a national team training camp in May 2014. However, he did not earn an A-cap at that time and was not selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His official debut for the Japan national football team came on October 10, 2014, in a Kirin Challenge Cup match against Jamaica, under the management of Javier Aguirre.

He was later selected for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 and for the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in October 2015 under manager Vahid Halilhodžić, but he did not make any appearances in these tournaments.

On January 5, 2019, Shiotani received an additional call-up to the Japan national team for the AFC Asian Cup 2019, replacing the injured Hidemasa Morita. This marked his return to the A-team after a three-year and three-month absence. In the third group stage match against Uzbekistan on January 17, he scored his first international goal for Japan. Notably, this goal was scored at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, which was his club Al Ain FC's home stadium. In the final match against Qatar, Shiotani started due to an injury to Wataru Endo. He played a role in setting up Takumi Minamino's goal with a vertical pass, but Japan ultimately lost the match 1-3, finishing as runners-up. He concluded his senior national team career with 7 caps and 1 goal.

5.1. Club Statistics

Updated to December 8, 2024.

¹ Includes FIFA Club World Cup, J.League Championship and Japanese Super Cup.

5.2. International Statistics

International goals
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.

6.1. Club Honours

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

• J.League Division 1: 2012, 2013, 2015
• J.League Cup: 2022
• Japanese Super Cup: 2013, 2014, 2016

Al Ain FC

• UAE Pro League: 2017-18
• UAE President's Cup: 2017-18

6.2. International Honours

Japan

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2019

6.3. Individual Honours

• J.League Best Eleven: 2014, 2015, 2016
• J.League Monthly MVP: March 2014
• J.League Excellent Player Award: 2015