Junya_Ito_(footballer,_born_1993)

Junya Itō

Junya Itō

Japanese footballer (born 1993)


Junya Itō (伊東 純也, Itō Jun'ya, born 9 March 1993) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for Ligue 1 club Reims and the Japan national team.

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

Club career

After attending Kanagawa University for four years,[2] Itō first became a Special Designated Player for Ventforet Kofu,[3] and then obtained a new contract with the J1 League side.[4]

His first season as a professional player attracted attention from Kashiwa Reysol. The Chiba club signed him in January 2016.[5]

On 31 January 2019, Junya Itō moved from Kashiwa Reysol to Genk on a one-year loan deal.[6] On 18 September, he made his Champions League debut as a starter in the group stage match against Red Bull Salzburg. On 30 March 2020, Ito signed permanently with Genk on a three-year contract.[7]

On 29 July 2022, Itō joined Ligue 1 club Reims.[8]

On 23 October 2022, he scored the winner in a 2–1 victory against Auxerre.[9] In the 2023–24 Ligue 1 opening game on 12 August, Ito scored a stunning goal against Ligue 1 powerhouse Marseille to open the scoring, but his team eventually lost 2–1.

International career

Ito made his Japan national team debut in 2017.

He was part of the Japan team that finished runner-up in the 2019 Asian Cup.

In the 2022 WC qualifiers, he scored four goals in four consecutive games, the last two being winning goals against Vietnam and Oman respectively.

He was selected for Hajime Moriyasu's final World Cup squad in October 2022.[10]

Adultery and Sexual assault allegations

On 31 January 2024, the Daily Shincho reported that police had launched an investigation into Ito following a criminal complaint filed by two women alleging that he had engaged in sexual conduct with them while they were intoxicated at a hotel in Osaka without their consent after a match for Japan against Peru in June 2023.[11][12]

In response to this report, the Japan Football Association decided on February 1 to withdraw Ito from the ongoing 2023 AFC Asian Cup after considering Ito's physical and mental condition. Meanwhile, Ito filed a criminal complaint against the two women with the Osaka Prefectural Police for filing false complaints.[13]

On 19 February, Ito filed a lawsuit against the two women at the Osaka District Court, claiming that their sponsorship contracts were terminated due to false complaints and demanding 200 million yen in damages.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 March 2024[15][16][17][18]
More information Club, Season ...
  1. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  5. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 24 January 2024[19]
More information National team, Year ...
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Itō goal.
More information No., Date ...

Honours

Genk

Individual

  • Japan Pro-Footballers Association awards: Best XI (2022, 2023)[22]

References

  1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Japan (JPN)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ヴァンフォーレ山梨スポーツクラブ. "神奈川大学 伊東純也選手 来季新加入内定のお知らせ". Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. "Reysol News|柏レイソル Official Site". Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  4. "Football: Japan winger Junya Ito reveals title ambitions with Genk". Kyodo News+. 12 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. "Japanner Ito blijft definitief bij Genk: "Hij is een publiekslieveling"". sporza.be (in Dutch). 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  6. Projects, Sanmax. "Junya Ito onderweg naar Stade Reims | KRC Genk". www.krcgenk.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  7. "Reims vs. Auxerre 2–1". Soccerway.com. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  8. Milad, Al Hasan (1 February 2024). "Japanese footballer accused of sexual harassment". Daily Topnotch. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  9. 伊東純也、虚偽告訴容疑の告訴状を大阪府警に提出 女性2人への性加害報道を受けて (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. 【速報】伊東純也選手が性被害訴える女性側に「2億円」の損害賠償求め民事で提訴 (in Japanese). Yahoo Japan News. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)" Archived 13 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 6 January 2021, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 34 out of 289)
  12. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2016J1&J2&J3選手名鑑" Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, 10 February 2016, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411338 (p. 84 out of 289)
  13. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)" Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, 8 February 2017, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411420 (p. 66 out of 289)
  14. Junya Itō at Soccerway
  15. "Ito, Junya". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  16. "Onuachu with an assist as Genk clinch Belgian Cup title after Standard Liege win". Goal. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

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