| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1995-03-14)14 March 1995 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Hiroshima Prefecture,Japan | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | JEF United Chiba | ||
| Number | 67 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hesaka FC | |||
| –2009 | Hiroshima Taiga FC | ||
| 2010–2012 | Hiroshima Kanon High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Ryutsu Keizai University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Honda FC | 43 | (5) |
| 2019–2022 | Iwaki FC | 89 | (15) |
| 2023– | JEF United Chiba | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 December 2022, 12:40 (UTC) | |||
Masaru Hidaka (日高 大,Hidaka Masaru; born 14 March 1995) is a Japanesefootballer who plays as amidfielder and currently play forJ2 League club,JEF United Chiba.[1]
Hidaka played for his high school between 2010 and 2012, before going on to play forRyutsu Keizai University FC. In 2015 and 2016, Hidaka played 24 times in theJapan Football League for the university affiliate sideRyutsu Keizai Dragons Ryugasaki and scored his first goal for them in a 2–1 win overSony Sendai FC.[2] In 2016, he also made 10 appearances, scoring 4 goals for Ryutsu Keizai University in the JUFA Kanto League 1.[3]
In 2017, Hidaka signed forJFL clubHonda FC.[4] He made his debut for Honda in a 3–1 win overReinMeer Aomori in March 2017 and scored his first goal for the club two months later in a 6–1 win overMIO Biwako Shiga.[5] He also made his debut in theEmperor's Cup. Honda went on to be crowned JFL champions, with Hidaka making 22 league appearances, scoring 3 goals.[6] Honda FC went on to win back-to-back league titles, with another league win coming in the 2018 season.[7] Hidaka played 21 games in this season, scoring 2 goals and his performances earned him a place in the JFL Best XI for the season.[8]
In December 2018, it was announced that Hidaka would be transferring to a lower division to play forIwaki FC in theTohoku Soccer League.[9] Hidaka scored 6 goals across all competitions in his debut season, helping Iwaki to finish top of their regional division and go on to win promotion to theJapan Football League for the first time in their history following their victory in theJapanese Regional Football Champions League.[10][11] Playing most of his career to date as a left-back, in the 2020 season Hidaka moved into a more advanced left-sided midfield position. Iwaki finished 7th in their first season in the JFL, but Hidaka managed to make the end of season Best XI for the second time in his career after scoring 4 goals in 15 games.[12]
In only the club's second season participating in the JFL in the 2021 season, Iwaki FC gained promotion to theJ3 League.[13] Hidaka made 27 league appearances and was also inducted into the 2021 JFL Best XI for the third time.[14]
In the 2022 season, Hidaka made his J.League debut in a 1–1 draw withKagoshima United.[15] Another excellent season ensued for him as he helped Iwaki to back-to-back promotions, playing in 32 out of a possible 34 league games and scoring 5 goals. For the second season running, Hidaka was inducted into the league'sBest XI.[16]
On 26 November 2022, it was announced that Hidaka would be joiningJEF United Chiba for the 2023 season.[17]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
| RKU Dragons Ryugasaki | 2015 | JFL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 4 | |||
| Total | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||
| Honda FC | 2017 | JFL | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 | 2 | |||
| Total | 43 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 5 | ||
| Iwaki FC | 2019 | Tohoku Soccer League | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11[a][b] | 1 | 27 | 6 |
| 2020 | JFL | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2021 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2022 | J3 League | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 | 5 | ||
| Total | 89 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 103 | 17 | ||
| JEF United Chiba | 2023 | J2 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 156 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 172 | 26 | ||