Domestic-league season · Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 J1 League | 35 | 3 | 2 | 2028 | 6.87 |
 AFC Champions League Elite | 10 | 2 | 0 | 259 | 6.85 |
 Super Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 7.31 |
Kato's current-season form is down 61% on last season (Season 44→17), while his Rating eased 55→39. His peak season for form remains 2024/25 (Season 44).
| Season | Club | Apps | G | A | Match | RTG | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima · 4th | 35 | 3 | 2 | 6.87 | 39 | 17 |
| 2024/25 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima · 2nd | 37 | 9 | 7 | 7.26 | 55 | 44 |
| 2023/24 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima · 3rd | 30 | 7 | 6 | 6.84 | 54 | 37 |
| 2022/23 | Cerezo Osaka · 5th | 26 | 6 | 3 | 6.8 | 52 | 26 |
| 2021/22 | Cerezo Osaka · 12th | 35 | 7 | 0 | 6.79 | 51 | 23 |
Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year.
M. Kato is a 28-year-old attacking midfielder at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, rated 39.1 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 370th of 874 in the J3 League. An experienced operator, he has been a rotation option this season (59.3% of available minutes). He brings 0.22 goal contributions per 90 (0.13 goals, 0.09 assists). Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Kato.
Judged on this season alone, Kato graded 17 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 40th of 71 of the 71 attacking midfielders in the J3 League, on 3 goals and 2 assists in 35 appearances (0.222 involvements per 90).
Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 44 → 17). Over the 5 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2024/25.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 39, 35th of 71 of the 71 attacking midfielders in the J3 League. At 28 Kato is in his prime years, and a market index of 17.8 reflects that trajectory.
Past his 2024/25 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
3 goals in 35 appearances (0.09 per game) — light end product the role wants to see climb. Add 2 assists for 5 goal contributions in all.
With a Rating of 39.1, Kato carries the 35th-highest potential of the attacking midfielders in the J3 League of 71. In the final third he profiles as a work-in-progress on end product (0.22 goal contributions per 90). Experienced and reliable, but the value curve is easing (1.2× now → 0.9× projected in three years).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~30), then tapers with age. At 28, Kato sits on 17.8, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Kato's projected Rating — 39.1 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.
No transfer news found for this player.
