is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back, left-back and defensive midfielder for club Bayern Munich and the Japan national team.
After growing through Júbilo Iwata youth ranks, Hiroki Ito was promoted to the first team in 2018. He debuted as a pro in March 2018 in J. League Cup, and would soon make his first appearance in J1 League in August 2018. In 2019, he was loaned out to Nagoya Grampus, where he made nine appearances in all competitions.
In June 2021, Ito joined Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on loan, and was assigned to play for the second team in the Regionalliga Südwest. However, he was instantly promoted to the first team by coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, and started his first match in a 6âÂÂ0 away win against BFC Dynamo in the DFB-Pokal. Afterwards that year, on 26 November, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 2âÂÂ1 win over Mainz. On 20 May 2022, VfB Stuttgart exercised a purchase option which tied Ito to the club with a contract until June 2025.
In August 2023, he extended his contract with Stuttgart until June 2027. In the 2023âÂÂ24 season, he played a crucial role in his club's runner-up finish and qualification to the Champions League.
On 13 June 2024, Ito signed for fellow Bundesliga club Bayern Munich until 2028, after they had triggered his release clause of an estimated â¬30 million. However, he sustained a metatarsal fracture during the summer preseason which kept him sidelined for the first half of the 2024âÂÂ25 season. He made his debut for the club on 12 February 2025, during a 2âÂÂ1 away victory over Celtic in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs. Later that month, on 23 February, he scored his first goal in a 4âÂÂ0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. A month later, on 29 March, he suffered another metatarsal fracture during a 3âÂÂ2 victory over St. Pauli, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2024âÂÂ25 season. Later that year, on 22 November, he made his comeback from a lengthy injury absence, recording an assist as a substitute in a 6âÂÂ2 victory over SC Freiburg.
Ito played for the youth teams of Japan, including the U23 team during the 2018 AFC Championship, the U19 team in the 2018 AFC Championship, and the U20 team in the 2019 FIFA World Cup.
Ito made his debut for the senior Japan national team on 2 June 2022, during a 4âÂÂ1 friendly win over Paraguay. Later that year, on 1 November, he was selected in 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
He scored his first goal for Japan against Peru on 20 June 2023 during the Kirin Challenge Cup. On 1 January 2024, he was called up for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Júbilo Iwata
Bayern Munich
Japan U19
Individual