Yukinari Sugawara, born on 28 June 2000 (age 26), is a Japan international right-back now with Cagliari. He was linked with a move to Celtic in August 2026, a brief transfer line rather than the story of his career.
That story is shaped far more by AZ. After early loan football helped harden his development, Sugawara settled in the Netherlands and became a regular over five seasons, making 135 league appearances and scoring 12 league goals. His strongest league return came in 2023-24, when he scored four times in 30 appearances.
AZ gave him continuity and a proper first-team platform, which matters with a full-back whose game depends on rhythm as much as raw ability. He was not a passing curiosity there; he was a long-serving player who grew into the level and stayed useful across several campaigns.
At Cagliari in 2026-27, he has made two Serie A appearances. His international work with Japan has also continued, with four World Cup appearances and five in Asian World Cup qualifying this season, including two goals.
His current market value is around £4.5m, according to Transfermarkt. Sugawara’s career is that of a Japanese full-back whose main body of work was built at AZ, with Cagliari now the next stage.
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