Early career and stint in Spain Sugi was born in
Saitama, and joined
Kashiwa Reysol's youth setup in 2009, aged 16. In the 2011 summer the Spanish agent
Javier Subirats decided to represent him, after a
friendly match between Kashiwa and
Elche's
reserves. However, after failing to join the
Valencians, Sugi returned to Japan to play for
Sendai University until October 2012, when Gaspar Campillo, coach and sporting director of
Jove Español San Vicente, decided to sign him after positive reports written by Subirats. He signed an 18-month deal with the
Valencian side, but due to bureaucratic problems, was unable to play with the main squad in the
Tercera División, and was assigned to the B-team in the regional levels. After Jove Español's assignment as a
farm team of
Hércules, Sugi was called up to the latter's first team by manager
Quique Hernández. He played his first match as a professional on 11 September 2013,
replacing Quique de Lucas in the 56th minute of a 2–0 home win against
Real Murcia in
the season's
Copa del Rey, becoming the first Asian to play for Hércules. Sugi made his league debut on 17 November 2013, again from the bench in a 2–4 loss at
Córdoba in the
Segunda División, and scored his first professional goal seven days later, netting the last of a 3–0 home success against
Sabadell. On 22 December 2013, he renewed his link with the
Valencian side, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with a
€10 million release clause, being definitely promoted to the main squad.
Thailand He left Hércules in 2015, moving to
Thailand playing for
Pattaya United and
PTT Rayong.
Dalkurd FF On 21 February 2017, Sugita signed a two-year deal with
Dalkurd FF in
Superettan, Sweden's second tier. Dalkurd won a promotion to
Allsvenskan the same season. In 2018, Sugita established himself as a key player at Dalkurd, although the club struggled in the league and was placed at the foot of the table mid through the season.
Tractor S.C. On 29 July 2018, Sugita signed a three-year contract with
Tractor in the
Iran Pro League.
IK Sirius In March 2020 he joined the Swedish Allsvenskan team
IK Sirius on a short-term loan. On 22 July 2020, the loan was extended 31 August. The loan extension was made after the
Persian Gulf Pro League was delayed until late September.
Arar On 26 August 2023, Sugita joined
Saudi Second Division club
Arar. ==References==