| Riku Saga 嵯峨 理久 | |
| Birth Date: | 27 May 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Aomori Prefecture, Japan |
| Height: | 1.66m |
| Currentclub: | Fagiano Okayama |
| Clubnumber: | 23 |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthclubs1: | Tenno SS |
| Youthclubs2: | Vanraure Hachinohe |
| Youthclubs3: | Wings FC |
| Youthclubs4: | Aomori Yamada High School |
| Youthyears4: | 2014–2017 |
| College1: | Sendai University |
| Collegeyears1: | 2017–2021 |
| Years1: | 2021–2024 |
| Caps1: | 92 |
| Goals1: | 14 |
| Years2: | 2024– |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 22:08, 8 July 2024 (UTC) |
is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender for club Fagiano Okayama.[1]
Saga was a good player at junior high school level and was even selected for a Japan U-15 training camp. After graduating from junior high, there was interest from some J.League clubs but Saga decided to go to Aomori Yamada High School.[2] Saga was an important player for the school, as they reached the semi-final of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament in 2016[3] and won the competition in 2017 with a convincing 5–0 victory in the final. Saga started every game in the competition scoring three goals and scored his team's second goal in the final itself.[4] [5] Aomori Yamada also were champions of the Prince Takamado Cup U-18 Football League in 2016 after beating Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth in the final, with Saga playing in every one of their games throughout the competition.[6]
Following graduation from high school in 2017, Saga went on to Sendai University. In his third year, he was appointed captain and was part of the team that both beat JFL team Iwaki FC in the first round of the Emperor's Cup where he scored their second goal[7] and narrowly lost in the second round to J2 League club Yokohama FC.[8] [9]
In December 2020, it was announced that Saga would be signing for JFL team Iwaki FC for the 2021 season.[10] He made his debut for the team in March in a 2–1 league victory over Veertien Mie and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with ReinMeer Aomori.[11] [12] At the end of the 2021 season, Saga had participated in all 32 games and scored 8 goals, helping Iwaki FC gain promotion to the J3 League. He was named as Rookie of the Year and was also inducted into the 2021 JFL Best XI.[13]
In the 2022 season, Saga scored on his J.League debut in a 1–1 draw with Kagoshima United.[14] Another excellent season ensued for him as he helped Iwaki to back-to-back promotions, playing in all 34 of their league games and scoring 5 goals. For the second season running, Saga was inducted into the league's Best XI.[15]
In the 2023 season, Saga only made 20 appearances but did score his first J2 League goal in a 3–2 loss to Fujieda MYFC.[16] His playing time was further reduced in the 2024 season, only making seven appearances in the first half of the season.
In July 2024, it was announced that Saga would be transferring to fellow J2 League club Fagiano Okayama.[17]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Total | |||||||
| Sendai University | 2019 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Iwaki FC | 2021 | JFL | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | 33 | 8 | ||
| 2022 | J3 League | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 5 | |||
| 2023 | J2 League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | J2 League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 92 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 94 | 14 | |||
| Fagiano Okayama | 2024 | J2 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 92 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 94 | 14 | |||
2022