is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right back and the inaugural captain for A-League club Auckland FC.
Club career Kashiwa Reysol Born on 12 April 1990, in Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan, Sakai was introduced to football by his two older brothers and joined a school football team when he was in the third grade of elementary school. Sakai initially played as a striker before converting to a full back, where he has played since. Sakai spent 10 years with the school football team before joining Kashiwa Reysol U15 side in 2003.
Sakai progressed through the ranks of the Kashiwa Reysol and learned his guidance under Tatsuma Yoshida. Eventually, he worked his way through to the U16 and U18 side despite suffering injuries along the way. During his progress, Sakai joined Mogi Mirim to study abroad on a short–term, though he said the experience benefited him to improve his right–back and centre–back positions. Sakai eventually returned to Japan in November 2009.
Ahead of the 2010 season, Sakai was promoted to Kashiwa Reysol's first team, where he signed a contract with the club and was given the number 30 shirt. At the start of the 2010 season, Sakai started out on the substitute bench in number of matches. It wasn't until on 5 May 2010 when he made his Kashiwa Reysol debut, coming on as a substitute for Yohei Kurakawa in the 77th minute, in a 1–1 draw against Ventforet Kofu. Sakai then made his first start for the side on 25 July 2010, starting the whole game and set up one of the goals, in a 2–2 draw against JEF United Chiba. It wasn't until on 31 October 2010 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–1 win over Mito HollyHock. Sakai later helped Kashiwa Reysol secure promotion to J. League Division 1. Although he was featured several times later in the season, Sakai went on to make 12 appearances and scoring once for the side.
Ahead of the 2011 season, the club announced that Sakai were among players to agree to stay at Kashiwa Reysol and was given a number 4 shirt. However, he missed the start of the season, due to a metatarsal fracture injury, causing to miss six matches. It wasn't until on 23 April 2011 when Sakai made his first appearance of the season, in a 1–0 win over Omiya Ardija. He then quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position. On 12 May 2011, it was announced that Sakai signed another contract with the club. He began to set up goals in number of matches for the side, including twice against Kawasaki Frontale on 16 July 2011. Sakai later helped Kashiwa Reysol win the league and lifted the trophy after beating Urawa Red Diamonds 3–2 in the last game of the season. As a result, the club qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup as part of winning the league. He played his first match of the tournament, starting the whole game, in the play-off for the quarter–finals, in a 2–0 win over Auckland City. Sakai then scored in the semi–final, in a 3–1 loss against Santos. He played four times in the tournament, as Kashiwa Reysol finished fourth place in the FIFA Club World Cup. At the end of the 2011 season, he was awarded J. League Rookie of the Year and was named in the J. League Best XI. Despite being sidelined on several occasions later in the season, Sakai made 35 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2012 season, Sakai started the season well when he helped Kashiwa Reysol win the Japanese Super Cup by beating FC Tokyo 2–1 on 3 March 2012. Three days after winning the Japanese Super Cup, he scored his first goal of the season in the AFC Champions League, in a 3–2 loss against Buriram United. Sakai scored and set up the club's third goal of the game, in a 3–3 draw against Yokohama F. Marinos in the opening game of the season. His third goal of the season then came on 17 April 2012, in a 3–1 loss against Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao in the AFC Champions League. A month later, on 17 May 2012, he set up two goals, in a 2–1 win over Cerezo Osaka. His performance attracted interests from clubs in Europe, mostly Germany, as the season progressed. With his move to Hannover 96 reached an agreement, Sakai made his last appearance for the club, which came on 30 June 2012, in a 6–2 win over Gamba Osaka. After his departure, he was given a farewell sendoff following an end of Kashiwa Reysol's match. Despite missing out one match by the time of his departure, Sakai continued to regain his first team place for the side this season, playing in the right–back position and went on to make 23 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions this season.
Hannover 96 It was announced on 13 June 2012 that Hannover 96 agreed to sign Sakai from Kashiwa Reysol. It was later confirmed with he signed a four–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2016. The transfer reportedly cost 1 million euro (100 million yen).
However, at the start of the 2012–13 season, Sakai missed several matches, due to international commitment with Japan and his own injury concerns. It wasn't until on 31 August 2012 when he made his Hannover 96 debut in the Qualification Round Second Leg of the UEFA League Europa League and set up one of the goals, in a 5–1 win over Śląsk Wrocław. Sakai then made his league debut on 23 September 2012, where he came on as a substitute from 16 minutes to the end of the game, in a 3–1 loss against 1899 Hoffenheim. However, his first team opportunities with the club became limited and was on the substitute bench as a result. As the season progressed, Sakai began to receive more playing time for the last four matches. In his first season at Hannover 96, Sakai made 17 appearances in all competitions for the side.
Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Sakai was expected to compete in the right–back position with Steve Cherundolo once again. After Cherundolo injured his knee at the start of the season, he began to play in number of matches since the start of the season, playing in the right–back position. Sakai then scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–2 loss against Werder Bremen on 3 November 2013. In a follow–up match against local rivals’ Eintracht Braunschweig on 8 November 2013, he started and played the whole game to keep a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw. However, Sakai soon lost his first team place around early–2014 and was placed on the substitute bench for several matches. He later returned to the starting lineup on 1 March 2014, in a 1–1 draw against FC Augsburg and regained his first team place for the rest of the season. However, Sakai missed the remaining two league matches of the 2013–14 season when he suffered a knee injury, having previously suffered a same injury earlier in April. In his second season at Hannover 96, Sakai went on to make 28 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Sakai became Hannover 96's first choice right–back following the retirement of Cherundolo. Along the way, he faced his own injury concern in the first half of the season. By February, however, Sakai lost his first team place to new signing, João Pereira. Over the next months as the season progressed, both he and Pereira fought over the right–back position. However, Sakai had discipline issues when he was suspended on two occasions, including one when he was sent–off bookable offence, in a 2–1 win over FC Augsburg on 16 May 2015. Despite suffering from injuries during the season, Sakai made twenty–nine appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Sakai was linked with a move away from Hannover 96, as clubs like Napoli and other clubs among interested. Eventually, he stayed at the club throughout the summer transfer window. At the start of the season, Sakai continued to regain his first team place in the right–back position. This lasted until mid-September when he suffered a strain on his thigh and missed out two matches. It wasn't until on 18 October 2015 when Sakai returned from injury, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 1–0 win over 1. FC Köln. Sakai was then sidelined again between late–November and early–December when he suffered injuries for the second time this season. Since returning from injuries, Sakai regained back his first team place in the right–back position. He then scored his first goal of the season on 23 April 2016, in a 2–2 draw against FC Ingolstadt 04. However, the draw resulted the club being relegated to 2. Bundesliga after a 14-year stay in Bundesliga. Shortly after, Sakai missed the rest of the season with a muscle injury. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make 28 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
Following Hannover 96's relegation, Sakai expressed his desire to leave the club.
Marseille After Hannover 96's relegation, Sakai moved to Ligue 1 side Marseille on a free transfer on 23 June 2016. It was revealed that his then national team manager Vahid Halilhodžić convinced him to join Olympique de Marseille. In addition, he became the second Japanese player to join Olympique de Marseille since Kōji Nakata. Upon joining the club, Sakai was given a number two shirt ahead of the new season.
Sakai made his Olympique de Marseille debut in the opening game of the season, where he set up a goal for Florian Thauvin, in a 4–0 win over Toulouse. Sakai quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side, playing in the right–back position. This was due to the fact that he was the only player to play in the right–back position. At one point, Sakai played in the right–midfield position once during a 0–0 draw against rivals against Paris Saint-Germain on 23 October 2016. However, he suffered a muscle injury and was substituted in the 65th minute, in a 2–1 win against Clermont Foot on 26 October 2016. After missing one match, Sakai returned from injury, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 3–1 loss against Montpellier HSC on 4 November 2016. As the 2016–17 season progressed, he continued to have discipline issues that saw him suspended on two separate occasions. In his first season at Olympique de Marseille, Sakai made make 40 appearances in all competitions. Reflecting on his performances, his teammate Florian Thauvin and Manager Rudi Garcia both praised his commitment and performance when the club were in a financial problems during the season.