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Today, several club changes are common in a career. Some professionals even play for more than ten clubs in one period. Hitoshi Sogahata is different. The Japanese played his entire career for one team.
Hitoshi Sogahata thinks fondly of 1998. It was his first as a professional with his heart team: Kashima Antlers. He would remain a goalkeeper for many years with the multiple Japanese champions.
It wasn’t until December 2020 that he ended his career after almost 23 years, again wearing the Antlers jersey. The 41-year-old never changed clubs.
Kashima announced the end of Sogahata’s career a few days after the last game of the season on Thursday. It was an emotional day for many fans and also for the goalkeeper himself.
Because Sogahata is not only a club legend, he was also the “most loyal player in the world”, the professional who was under contract with a club for the longest time. He makes a total of 740 games for the Antlers, but for the most part he has only been a backup goalkeeper since 2018, so he missed all 800 games.
