Hiroki Ito, born on 12 May 1999 in Japan, is a 25-year-old proficient defender who currently provides his services to the renowned German football club, Bayern Munich. Donning the number 21 jersey, Ito primarily takes up the role of a central defender, standing 6ft 2in tall (1.88m) and tipping the scales at 12st 8lb (80kg). Besides his club responsibilities, this athletic talent has also received recognition from his home country, having represented the Japan national team.
According to Transfermarkt, his talents in defence don't go unnoticed in the market, commanding an estimated value around £26m. Ito's contract with Bayern Munich has 3 years and 5 months left, slated to end on 30 June 2028.
Ito's professional career kick-started in January 2016, when he joined Jubilo Iwata in the J2 League in Japan as a trainee. His debut season (2018) with Iwata saw him making a single appearance for the first team in league matches. Ito then moved to Nagoya Grampus of the J1 League in January 2019 on a loan deal, where he made two first team appearances that season. With the completion of his loan in 2020, he returned to Jubilo Iwata, marking another appearance for the first team.
Further advancements in Ito's career took place in July 2021, when he got the opportunity to move overseas, transferring from Jubilo Iwata to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, Germany, as a loanee. His seasons from 2021 to 2024 were relatively successful, seeing him make an impressive total of 85 first team appearances, and scoring two goals during the 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 seasons.
In a surprising twist of events, Ito was transferred from Jubilo Iwata to Stuttgart permanently in 2022, for a fee of about £360k. His performance continued to flourish, making a commendable number of first team appearances, despite not adding to his previous goal tally.
In July 2024, Ito made yet another significant step up in his career, transferring from Stuttgart to Bayern Munich, for a staggering fee of approximately £19m. In the current 2024-2025 season at Bayern Munich, Ito has been granted one first team appearance in league matches so far. On the international scene, Ito featured in World Cup Qualifiers Asia 2024 - 2026 for Japan, with three starts and one appearance as a substitute. He also made a substitute appearance in the Champions League 2024-2025 for Bayern Munich.
