It’s strange, isn’t it? Japan has long suffered two major issues for the national team: no good goalkeeper and no number 9s. Two problems that have plagued the Samurai Blue even in a golden era like the 2010s, when several prominent players featured for Europe’s biggest teams: Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, Yuto Nagatomo, Makoto Hasebe, Shinji Okazaki, and so on.
And yet, missing those two pieces was a disaster. We had already discussed the problem of the goalkeeper when Eiji Kawashima was out of the picture, and a new challenger was needed. Head coach Hajime Moriyasu found a partial solution for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Shuichi Gonda, who played a good tournament, and he’s still today a starter for Vissel Kobe.
Nonetheless, the question remained open for a few years, and Zion Suzuki was the selected option for the future. The young keeper struggled at first, but his showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was so impressive to convince Aston Villa to buy him from Parma and he’s doing well in the Premier League. What about the striker spot, though? Well, we found a solution for that as well.
Ayase Ueda is the messiah. In the meantime, Koki Ogawa was very useful for the 2026 WC cycle. But now that he might be out of the picture and that Shuto Machino isn’t in the best form, you would think another Suzuki would help… and that’s Yuma – no. Don’t get me wrong: I’d love to see the Kashima Antlers legend in the national team, but Akito Suzuki is putting his chips on the table for a call-up with a majestic 2026.
A Gamba Regret?
Akito Suzuki, class 2003, was born in Higashiosaka and meant to be a prodigy of the region… if he played in the right role, which wasn’t the case. Suzuki entered the youth ranks of Gamba Osaka, but he was fielded as a side-back or side midfielder, which definitely didn’t fit his development. This left him behind in terms of playing time, and Gamba let him go after a while.
Coaches at Gamba recalled why they put Suzuki in that role: “We decided to keep him there because he didn’t lose the ball. At that time, he wasn’t that tall, but he was capable of playing that position”. When he became a pro, Suzuki remembered those times: “I didn’t leave my position too much, now that I think about it. Nevertheless, it’s time to move on from those times”.
This didn’t mean that Suzuki was giving up. In fact, when he enrolled at Hannan University, Akito switched to striker, given that some elements were there to give it a try. It worked: Suzuki became one of the best players in Kansai, and grabbed eyeballs from several J.League clubs. The fastest to move on him? Shonan Bellmare, who decided to bring him in 2022.
It was a natural match – Suzuki made a name for himself in the National High School Tournament by being the top-scorer and one of the MVPs. But he had already featured in some training sessions at Shonan in 2021. On the other hand, the reason for joining Bellmare seemed very obvious for Suzuki: “Several players developed in this club, and I wonder if I can do the same. There are several forwards, but I want to find my space on the pitch”.
Growing up with Bellmare
We wrote a few times about Shonan, who were able to survive for a longer time in J1, even building something under head coach Satoshi Yamaguchi, who coached the club for almost five seasons. And meeting Yamaguchi was fundamental for Suzuki, because he needed to find a coach who was going to give trust and minutes to the young starlets. After a 2022 season in which Suzuki featured only twice in J1, he found minutes.
It was about the same time that Shonan had Yuki Ohashi, before he left to join Sanfrecce Hiroshima first and then leap to Europe. When Ohashi left, and there were no successors in line, Bellmare relied heavily on Suzuki. More pitch time in 2023 – although mostly from the bench, with 27 league games and three goals – meant more chances to develop and take responsibilities. That potential unlocked completely from 2024 onwards.
Suzuki took the no. 10, and he was also picked as the captain in 2025, despite being just 22 years old. It didn’t matter, because the striker enjoyed the trust of Yamaguchi. And it worked out: Suzuki scored 10 goals in 34 league games, including a strike of six in the last 10 matches to bring physically Bellmare towards salvation. It was a major display of maturity.
And even if 2025 finished with a relegation for Shonan, Suzuki showed his potential anyway: nine goals in 37 league matches, playing the most minutes in J1 within his squad. Despite being so young, he had already four seasons of professionalism under his belt, and he was ready for his next chapter.
The next level in Hiroshima
Many clubs – including European ones – should have looked at him, but the fastest were Sanfrecce Hiroshima. And even there, a particular choice, because Hiroshima already had a big battery of strikers available: Ryo Germain, Mutsuki Kato, Kosuke Kinoshita, Sota Nakamura, Valère Germain. Instead, with Michael Skibbe‘s departure (to Vissel Kobe) and the arrival of new head coach Bartosch Gaul, things changed.
Hiroshima reshuffled a lot, letting go of several players and bringing in a few strikers in just six months. Takuma Asano and Shun Ayukawa came back; Kusini Yengi and Sébastien Haller were signed. And you know who has the most minutes in the league among forwards for Sanfrecce this season? You guessed right: Akito Suzuki. He played all matches in the HYVL, and it’s the same in this season’s J1 League.
I could also add that Suzuki has already racked up nine goals in 12 games, but it’s not about the numbers… It’s about the flair. Take a no-look back-heel assist for Ryo Germain in a game of the HYVL. Or the control he has to prepare himself for the goal scored against Kyoto Sanga. There’s something more to the football IQ of the kid – something that apparently hasn’t made yet national headlines.
And that’s the strange fact: Akito Suzuki hasn’t had a single game with the national teams of Japan. Not the senior one, not even the youth squads. And that’s where the 2027 AFC Asian Cup (if it goes through: a BIG “if”) might play a role: Suzuki would be a trump card, a joker to play behind a starting striker. And he could be another Suzuki saving the day for the Samurai Blue.
