Minori Sato

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Minori Sato

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|fullname = Minori Sato

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|3|2|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Gunma, Japan

|height = {{Height|m=1.68}}

|position = Midfielder

|currentclub =

|clubnumber =

|youthyears1= 2006–2008 |youthclubs1= Maebashi Ikuei High School

|years1 = 2009 |clubs1 = Thespa Kusatsu |caps1 = 21 |goals1 = 0

|years2 = 2010 |clubs2 = Indiana Invaders |caps2 = 10 |goals2 = 1

|years3 = 2010–2011 |clubs3 = Puebla |caps3 = 1 |goals3 = 0

|years4 = 2010 |clubs4 = → Gulbene (loan) |caps4 = 7 |goals4 = 10

|years5 = 2011 |clubs5 = Ventspils |caps5 = 12 |goals5 = 0

|years6 = 2011–2012 |clubs6 = Skonto |caps6 = 36 |goals6 = 4

|years7 = 2013 |clubs7 = Dinamo Brest |caps7 = 27 |goals7 = 0

|years8 = 2014–2016 |clubs8 = Bunyodkor |caps8 = 71 |goals8 = 10

|years9 = 2017 |clubs9 = Muaither |caps9 = 12 |goals9 = 2

|years10 = 2017 |clubs10 = Riga |caps10 = 10 |goals10 = 0

|years11 = 2018 |clubs11 = Gwangju |caps11 = 12 |goals11 = 0

|years12 = 2019 |clubs12 = Riga |caps12 = 10 |goals12 = 1

|years13 = 2019–2020 |clubs13 = SKA-Khabarovsk |caps13 = 11 |goals13 = 0

|club-update = 13 February 2020

|nationalteam-update=

}}

{{Nihongo|Minori Sato|佐藤穣|Satō Minori|born 2 March 1991}} is a Japanese former football player.

Club career

Sato started his professional career in the J2 League. In 2010,{{cite web |url=http://www.pueblafutbolclub.com.mx/int-not.php?id_noticia=233 |title=Players 4 year signing contract |accessdate=November 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725181629/http://www.pueblafutbolclub.com.mx/int-not.php?id_noticia=233 |archivedate=July 25, 2010 }} after a trial with the Primera División de México club Puebla FC, he signed a 4-year contract. The same year he was sent on loan to FB Gulbene, that time playing in the Latvian First League, in order to gain experience before joining Puebla FC back from loan. He scored 10 goals in 7 games there, attracting interest from other Latvian clubs. In March, 2011 he signed a contract with Virsliga club FK Ventspils for one season. He won the Latvian Cup with the team, beating Liepājas Metalurgs in the final.{{Cite web |title=Lapa īslaicīgi nav pieejama |url=https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/lmt_virsliga/05032011-ventspils_paraksta_ligumus_ar_japaniem_sa |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=sportacentrs.com}} He played 12 matches there, without scoring any goals before being transferred to another Latvian Higher League team Skonto Riga in August 2011. Sato played 38 league matches, scoring 3 goals for Skonto during 2 seasons in the Latvian Higher League with the club. In March 2013 he was transferred to the Belarusian Premier League club Dinamo Brest.{{cite web|url=http://www.skontofc.com/index.php?zina=277|title=All about Skonto FC|publisher=}}

In March 2014, Sato signed a two-year contract with FC Bunyodkor in the Uzbek League,{{cite web |url=http://championat.asia/uz/news/30712 |script-title=ru:"Бунёдкор" подписал японца |work= Championat.asia |language=Russian|date=2014-03-13}}{{cite web |url=http://www.pressball.by/news/football/162457 |script-title=ru:О Экс-игрок брестского "Динамо" Минори Сато подписал контракт с чемпионами Узбекистана |work= Прессбол|language=Russian|date=2014-03-13}}{{cite web|title=Bunyodkor sign contract with Minori Sato|url=http://www.uzdaily.com/articles-id-27044.htm|publisher=UZdaily|accessdate=18 March 2014}} and upon making his debut became Bunyodkor's 25th foreign representative.{{cite web|title=Sato Minori is 25-foreigner|url=http://www.fcbunyodkor.com/en.php/news/sections/club/8189|publisher=FC Bunyodkor|accessdate=11 April 2014}}

In January 2018, Sato signed Gwangju FC.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thesportstimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=305043 |title=광주FC, 일본 MF 미노리 사토 영입 |access-date=2018-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125135043/http://www.thesportstimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=305043 |archive-date=2018-01-25 |url-status=dead }}

On 27 August 2019, he signed with Russian Football National League side SKA-Khabarovsk.{{cite web|publisher=FC SKA-Khabarovsk|url=https://fcska.ru/media/news/sostav-armeytsev-popolnil-poluzashchitnik-iz-yaponii/|title=СОСТАВ АРМЕЙЦЕВ ПОПОЛНИЛ ПОЛУЗАЩИТНИК ИЗ ЯПОНИИ|trans-title=Army side joined by Japanese midfielder|date=27 August 2019|language=Russian}}

As of 2023, he played for FC Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan.{{Cite web |title=Статистика всех легионеров ташкентского "Бунёдкора" |url=https://olamsport.com/ru/news/statistika-vsex-legionerov-tashkentskogo-bunyodkora |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=Olamsport.com |language=ru}}

Club statistics

=Club=

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|National Cup !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|Continental !colspan="2"\|Other¹ !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
valign="center"\|Thespa Kusatsu[https://data.j-league.or.jp/SFIX04/?player_id=10343 J.League Data Site]{{in lang\|ja}} \|2009 \|J2 League \|21	0	1	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	22	0
valign="center"\|Gulbene-2005 (loan) \|2010 \|Latvian First League \|7	10	1	1	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	8	11
valign="center"\|Ventspils \|2011 \|Latvian Higher League \|12	0	3	0	colspan="2"\|–	1	0	3	0	19	0
rowspan="3" valign="center"\|Skonto \|2011 \|rowspan="2" valign="center"\|Latvian Higher League \|13	3	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	13	3
2012 \|23	0	3	1	colspan="2"\|–	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	26	1
colspan="2"\|Total !36	3	3	1	-	-	0	0	-	-	39	4
valign="center"\|Dinamo Brest \|2013 \|Belarusian Premier League \|27	0	3	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	30	0
rowspan="4" valign="center"\|Bunyodkor \|2014 \|rowspan="3" valign="center"\|Uzbek League \|15	1	4	0	colspan="2"
\|0	0	0	0	19	1
2015 \|28	4	5	0	colspan="2"
\|7	0	colspan="2"
\|40	4
2016 \|27	5	6	1	colspan="2"
\|6	0	colspan="2"
\|39	6
colspan="2"\|Total !71	10	15	1	-	-	13	0	0	0	99	11
valign="center"\|Muaither \|2016–17 \|Qatar Stars League \|12	2	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	0	0	0	0
valign="center"\|Riga \|2017 \|Latvian Higher League \|10	0	4	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	14	0
valign="center"\|Gwangju \|2018 \|K League 2 \|12	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	12	0
valign="center"\|Riga \|2019 \|Latvian Higher League \|10	1	1	0	colspan="2"\|–	0	0	colspan="2"\|–	11	1
valign="center"\|SKA-Khabarovsk \|2019–20 \|FNL \|11	0	2	0	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	colspan="2"\|–	13	0
colspan="3"\|Career total !230	23	33	3	-	-	14	0	3	0	280	26