| Kaishū Sano 佐野 海舟 | |
| Birth Date: | 30 December 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan |
| Height: | 1.76 m |
| Position: | Defensive midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Mainz 05 |
| Clubnumber: | 6 |
| Youthyears1: | 2016–2018 |
| Youthclubs1: | Yonago Kita High School |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Machida Zelvia |
| Caps1: | 116 |
| Goals1: | 8 |
| Years2: | 2023–2024 |
| Caps2: | 47 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | Mainz 05 |
| Caps3: | 0 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | Japan |
| Nationalcaps1: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 16:03, 3 July 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 13:55, 14 January 2024 (UTC) |
is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Mainz 05 and the Japan national team.[1] [2]
After four seasons with J2 League club FC Machida Zelvia, in December 2022 it was announced that Sano would be joining J1 League club Kashima Antlers for the 2023 season.[3]
Sano appeared as starter at the beginning of the season, appearing in nine of their first ten games. In April, he picked up a knee injury which would leave him out of action for 4 weeks.[4]
On 3 July 2024, Sano signed for Bundesliga club Mainz 05 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[5]
Sano is the elder brother of fellow professional footballer Kodai Sano.[6]
On 17 July 2024, following Sano's transfer to Mainz, it was reported that he was arrested along with two other co-suspects under suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman who had earlier dined with the three men after the woman's friend had left for home.[7] [8]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Machida Zelvia | 2019 | J2 League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | J2 League | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 41 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | J2 League | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | 35 | 6 | |||
| 2022 | J2 League | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 21 | 1 | |||
| Total | 116 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 7 | |||
| Kashima Antlers | 2023 | J1 League | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2024 | J1 League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 47 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 58 | 1 | |||
| Mainz 05 | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 163 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 177 | 8 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||