Born in Osaka, Kakitani joined Cerezo Osaka's youth team at the age of 4. In 2006, he signed his first professional contract with Cerezo at 16 – the club record for the youngest player signed to a professional contract. He played his first J-League game on 26 November 2006. He also trained with the Arsenal F.C. and Inter Milan youth teams.
Kakitani entered the e-School[2] of Human Sciences, Waseda University in 2008. Kakitani was loaned to Tokushima Vortis on 18 June 2009 and returned to Cerezo Osaka in 2012.
Basel
On 7 July 2014 FC Basel announced that they had signed Kakitani on a four-year contract.[3] Kakitani joined Basel to the start of the 2014–15 Swiss Super League season.[4] He joined the team on 17 July for their 2014–15 season under head coach Paulo Sousa.[5] Kakitani played his domestic league debut for the club in the away game in the Stockhorn Arena on 2 August, coming on as a substitute for Mohamed Elneny as Basel won 3–2 against Thun.[6] He scored his first goal for his new club one week later, on 9 August, in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park as Basel won 4–1 against Zürich.[7] The season 2014–15 was a successful one for Basel. Basel entered the Champions League in the group stage. They reached the knockout phase on 9 December 2014, as they managed a 1–1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool.[8] But they were knocked out of the competition by Porto in the round of 16. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Basel won the championship for the sixth time in a row.[9] In the 2014–15 Swiss Cup Basel reached the final. However for the third time in a row they finished as runners-up. However, Kakitani failed to make a lasting impression in this season under trainer Paulo Sousa. Of the 50 competition matches (36 Swiss League fixtures – 6 Swiss Cup and 8 Champions League) that Basel played that season, Kakitani appeared in just 28.
In their following season new head coach was Urs Fischer and under him Kakitani played only in seven games. Being unhappy, he decided to return to Japan. During his 18 months with the club, Kakitani played a total of 41 games for Basel scoring a total of 14 goals. 18 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, six in the Swiss Cup, three in the 2014–15 Champions League and 14 were friendly games. He scored four goals in the domestic league, four in the cup and the other six were scored during the test games.[10]
Return to Cerezo Osaka
Unable to establish himself at Basel in the first half of the 2015–2016 season, Kakitani left the club in early January 2016 returning to his home club Cerezo Osaka which had been relegated to the J2 League during his absence.[11] The team has been playing in the J1 League since the 2017 season.
Return to Tokushima Vortis
On 6 January 2023, Kakitani announcement officially return to former club, Tokushima Vortis for upcoming 2023 season, he played for the club on loan in the middle of the 2009 season.
International career
He was named Most Valuable Player in the AFC U-17 Championship 2006 after helping Japan win the tournament, scoring 4 goals.
Kakitani scored two goals at 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. Against France he scored a spectacular goal from the halfway line.[12][13]
Kakitani debuted for the Japan senior team at the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. He played his first international match against China, scoring his first international goal in the 59th minute. He then scored twice against South Korea in a 2–1 win. His three goals from three matches made him top goalscorer as Japan won the tournament.[14]
Career statistics
Club
As of the start from 3 of November 2023.[15][16][17]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^FC Basel 1893 (17 July 2014). "Yoichiro Kakitani ist in Basel angekommen". Yoichiro Kakitani has arrived in Basel (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2 August 2014). "Der FCB siegt in Thun mit 3:2". FCB wins 3-2 in Thun. Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (9 August 2014). "FC Basel - FC Zürich 4:1 (2:0)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^McNulty, Phil (9 December 2014). "Liverpool 1-1 Basel". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^FC Basel 1893 (29 May 2015). "Der Meisterfreitag im bunten Zeitraffer". The championship Friday in a colorful time lapse (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
