Yuki Yamamoto

Yuki Yamamoto came through the amateur ranks the long way, playing for Yasu JFC and Sagawa Shiga FC before high school football at Kusatsu Higashi and four years at Kwansei Gakuin University. That university spell delayed his professional debut until 2019, when he joined Gamba Osaka rather than turning senior straight out of school. He spent his first year partly with the club's Under-23 side in the J3 League, gaining minutes at a level below the top flight before establishing himself with the first team.

Yamamoto stayed at Gamba Osaka for four seasons without collecting a major trophy, the club going without J1 League, Emperor's Cup or J.League Cup honours during his time there. In January 2024 he moved on a free transfer to Kawasaki Frontale, a club that had already won back-to-back J1 League titles in 2020 and 2021, before his arrival. He has not featured for Japan's senior national team, though his name has come up in conversations about future international selection.