Kosuke Kato

is a Japanese football player, who plays as a forward for VfL Bochum in Germany.

Kato started his club youth career in Sydney, Australia with Lindfield Football Club in all youth levels. In May 2007 Kato caught the attention of former Bayern Munich player, Mikael Boelem, now a scout for VfL Bochum. Kato was offered a month trial with the German Bundesliga club and signed a two year proffesional contract on July 2008. On doing this, Kato became the youngest Japanese player to sign a proffesional contract with an European club, aged 17.

On August 2008, he scored his first goal for Vfl Bochum in a 2-0 win over Hamburger SV, becoming the youngest VfL Bochum and Japanese player to score a goal in the Bundesliga. Kato continued to impress in his first season in Germany, scoring 12 goals in 25 appearances.

Unsurprisingly Kato's impressive start to his proffesional carerr has not gone unnoticed in Europe and Japan. Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg and fellow Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich have all expressed interest in the 18 year old striker. The Japanese media have given Kato, the nickname Senpai because of his talent and leadership in the Japanese Under-19 teams.

International
Kato has so far represented Japan in Under-19 and Under-23 levels and scored his first goal for his country in November 2008 in a 7-0 drubbing of Thailand. He has been selected to represent Japan in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, potentially forming a lethal attack with Kashiwa Reysol forward, Tadanari Lee.

Conterversy
Australia filed a lawsuit to FIFA, complaining that VfL Bochum and Japan had taken away an Australian football player forcefully out of the country. However Kato replied back saying I am Japanese. I was born in Japan and will always represent Japan at international levels. Later he was contreversially heard by the Japanese media as saying I would never fu fit in a fu team full of fu W and mother fuc Cr#ts. I am Japanese everyone, do you think they'll fu accept me? Mother fu W can fu fu themselves and fu Cr can fu fu as well. Kato has since denied that he said these racially offensive comments and that he loves Australia for it's people and environment.

Personal Life
Kato is portrayed by the Japanese media as a hero and ambassador for Japanese football in the future and is national sporting celebrity. He is known to coaching staff and players in Bochum as a cheerful and hardworking player and a fan fabourite in the Bundesliga.

Kato has posted on his official site that his favourite club is Manchester United and favourite player as Christiano Ronaldo. He has also posted that his childhood hero was former Bolton mildfielder Hidetoshi Nakata and current Yokohama FC striker, Kazu.

Kato is the great great grandson of former Japanese prime minister Takaaki Kato.

Individual Honors
*2008 German Bundesliga Future Player Award

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