Alpha Kubota

Alpha Sawaneh Kubota (; born 19 July 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a winger for French Championnat National 1 club Nîmes.

Early life Kubota was born on 19 July 1996 in Tokyo, Japan and is a native of Tokyo, Japan. Born to a Sierra Leonean father and a Japanese mother, he is a cousin of Guinean footballer Iya Traoré.

Career Kubota started his career with French side JA Drancy in 2015, where he made sixteen league appearances and scored zero goals. Two years later, he signed for FC Montceau Bourgogne, where he made nine league appearances and scored three goals, before signing for SAS Épinal in 2018, helping the club reach the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 Coupe de France.

In 2020, he signed for French side CS Sedan, where he made six league appearances and scored two goals. French magazine So Foot wrote in 2021 that he "has been a hit with National 2 clubs for six seasons. He rarely leaves anyone indifferent, thanks to his breakthrough performances on the right wing, and because he is the only Japanese player in the division" while playing for the club.

Style of play Kubota plays as a winger. Right-footed, he is known for his speed.