Saizo Saito

Saizo Saito
Personal information
Full name	Saizo Saito
Date of birth	September 24, 1908
Place of birth	Osaka, Japan
Date of death	2004 (aged 95–96)
Place of death	Japan
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Kwansei Gakuin University
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Kwangaku Club
National team
1930	Japan
Honours
Kwangaku Club
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Saizo Saito (斎藤才三, Saito Saizo, September 24, 1908 – 2004) was a Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.

Biography[change | change source]

Saito was born in Osaka Prefecture on September 24, 1908. He played for Kwangaku Club which was consisted of his alma mater Kwansei Gakuin University players and graduates. At the club, he won 1929 Emperor's Cup with Yukio Goto, Hideo Sakai and so on.

In May 1930, when Saito was a Kwansei Gakuin University student, he was selected the Japan national team for Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo and Japan won the championship. At this competition, on May 25, he debuted against Philippines. On May 29, he also played against Republic of China. He played 2 games for Japan in 1930.

After graduating from Kwansei Gakuin University, Saito retired playing career and want to England and studied football at University of Bristol. In 1933, he joined Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and he was engaged in the management and reporting of All Japan High School Soccer Tournament until 1940.^[1] After that, he worked at Hino Motors and some affiliates until 1989. He also served as the president at some Hino Motors affiliates.

Saito died in 2004.^[2]