Ryotaro Ito is leaving Albirex Niigata to join Sint-Truiden in Belgium’s top flight on a permanent deal. Both Albi and Sint-Truiden have confirmed that the deal is complete.

Ito began his career at Urawa Reds and had loan spells at Mito Hollyhock and Oita Trinita before moving to Niigata in 2022.

The 25-year-old was a standout for Albi from the start. He scored nine goals and had 11 assists in 2022, helping lead the club to the Meiji Yasuda J2 League title and promotion to the top flight. He was just as good in the first division, scoring seven goals to go along with four assists in 16 matches before completing this move to Sint-Truiden.

The Belgian club has a long history of bringing in some of Japan’s best players. Ito will be the sixth Japanese player on the team, continuing a legacy of players developing in the J.League before becoming stars and making the leap to Europe.