# Ota Yamamoto
**Ota Yamamoto** (山本 桜大; born 2004) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for [RB Leipzig](https://www.edgepedia.org/rb-leipzig) of the [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga), on loan at [J2 League](https://www.edgepedia.org/j2-league) club RB Ōmiya Ardija[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/). A right-footed attacker raised in Kashiwa Reysol's academy, he scored 10 league goals in each of the 2025 and 2026 Special seasons on loan in Japan's second tier before transferring to Germany in June 2026[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2004, Hiroshima, Japan; 175 cm, 70 kg[3](https://www.transfermarkt.us/ota-yamamoto/profil/spieler/1024924) • [2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
| Position | Attacking midfielder; also listed as a forward, shirt number 18 at Ōmiya[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
| Current club | RB Leipzig (contract to 30 June 2031), on loan at RB Ōmiya Ardija in J2[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [4](https://www.transfermarkt.pl/ota-yamamoto/profil/spieler/1024924) |
| J.League milestones | Debut 18 February 2023; first J.League goal 10 August 2024[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
| Breakout seasons | Renofa Yamaguchi 2025: 33 J2 appearances, 10 goals; RB Ōmiya Ardija 2026 Special: 19 appearances, 10 goals[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
| Honors | J2 League Outstanding Player Award 2025; J2/J3 100Year League Top Scorer and Regional Round Best Eleven, 2026 Special[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
| International | Japan, uncapped (0 senior caps)[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/) |
## Youth career and Kashiwa Reysol
Yamamoto played youth football at Owada FC before joining the [Kashiwa Reysol](https://www.edgepedia.org/kashiwa-reysol) academy, where he progressed from the U-12 side in 2014 through the U-15 and U-18 teams[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/). He was registered with the top squad from 2022 and made his J.League debut for Reysol on 18 February 2023[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/).
His first two senior seasons at Reysol brought limited top-flight minutes: 7 J1 appearances in 2023 and 9 in 2024, without a league goal, plus a handful of J.League Cup matches[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/). His first J.League goal came on 10 August 2024, during a season split between Reysol and a short loan to second-tier Tochigi SC, where he scored once in 9 appearances[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/).
## Breakout loans in the second tier
**Renofa Yamaguchi, 2025.** A season-long loan to J2 club Renofa Yamaguchi FC made Yamamoto a regular: 33 league appearances and 10 goals, plus 2 League Cup games[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/). The campaign earned him the MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Outstanding Player Award for 2025[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/).
**RB Ōmiya Ardija, 2026 Special.** In 2026 he moved on loan to RB Ōmiya Ardija, a sister club within the [Red Bull](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-bull) network, and repeated the scoring tally with 10 goals in 19 appearances in the 2026 J2/J3 100Year League Special Season[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/). He was named in the competition's Regional Round Best Eleven and finished as its Top Scorer[2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/).
## Move to RB Leipzig
On 30 June 2026, RB Leipzig completed the signing of Yamamoto from Kashiwa Reysol on a four-year contract running to the summer of 2031, and immediately loaned him back to RB Ōmiya Ardija to continue his development[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [5](https://www.bundesliga.com/de/bundesliga/news/rb-leipzig-ota-yamamoto-transfer-wechsel-kashiwa-reysol-38035). Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer framed the transfer in the club's usual terms: "We always try to sign young, hungry, high-potential players"[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043).
The transfer placed Yamamoto inside Red Bull's global club network, which stretches from Leipzig and Salzburg to New York, Bragantino, and Ōmiya Ardija, and which has been overseen since 1 January 2025 by Global Head of Soccer Jürgen Klopp[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043). Ex-Ōmiya head coach Yuki Miyazawa called him "the embodiment of the Red Bull football I want to create"[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043).
## Playing style
Bundesliga's profile describes Yamamoto as a dynamic attacking midfielder who operates in the spaces between the lines, influencing matches through intelligent movement, sharp combinations, and incisive runs into the penalty area rather than dictating play from a traditional No. 10 role[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043). The same profile compares him to a young [Daichi Kamada](https://www.edgepedia.org/daichi-kamada) at [Eintracht Frankfurt](https://www.edgepedia.org/eintracht-frankfurt) rather than a conventional playmaker[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043). He has played in all three of Japan's top divisions, J1, J2, and J3-level competition, and remains uncapped for Japan[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043) • [2](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/).
## References
1. [Ota Yamamoto: Who is RB Leipzig's Japanese midfielder? Bundesliga (28 June 2026)](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ota-yamamoto-who-is-leipzig-japanese-midfielder-38043)
2. [YAMAMOTO Ota | RB Omiya Ardija, Official J.LEAGUE player page](https://www.jleague.jp/en/player/1639186/)
3. [Ota Yamamoto, Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/ota-yamamoto/profil/spieler/1024924)
4. [ota yamamoto - profil zawodnika 26/27 | transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.pl/ota-yamamoto/profil/spieler/1024924)
5. [RB Leipzig verpflichtet Ota Yamamoto, Bundesliga (30 June 2026)](https://www.bundesliga.com/de/bundesliga/news/rb-leipzig-ota-yamamoto-transfer-wechsel-kashiwa-reysol-38035)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania › East Asian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license