Urawa Reds’ former Japan defender Hiroki Sakai has signed to play for New Zealand’s Auckland FC, the Australia A-League club announced Thursday. The 34-year-old right back played in Europe for nine years starting from the summer of 2012, spending four seasons with Germany’s Hannover 96 and five with France’s Marseille. Returning to Japan with the Reds in 2021, Sakai contributed to their Emperor’s Cup and Asian Champions League titles. “I’ve heard Auckland is an amazing city to live in and I have always wanted to play in the A-League. I had made the choice to pursue new goals and challenges. So…