From Yuito Suzuki’s growing influence in attack to Matthias Ginter’s commanding performances in defence, Freiburg’s flying start reflects both individual brilliance and the increasing presence of Japanese players in European football.
Yuito Suzuki has had an excellent start to the 26/27 season at Freiburg, notching four goals in his first six Bundesliga starts this season and continuing the strong form he showed last campaign. 25/26 was the Japanese playmaker’s first in Germany, joining Freiburg from Danish side, Brondby in a deal rumoured to be worth ten million euros. Although often categorised as a number ten, Suzuki is equally capable of playing off both wings or linking the midfield to the attack.
In Julian Schuster’s 4-2-3-1 system, he has been deployed behind the striker (often Igor Matanovic or Lucas Holer) and is often tasked with using his pace to time late runs and lead counterattacks as well as being a key leader in the press. Despite being limited to just eleven minutes for Japan in last summer’s World Cup, that disappointment has not stopped Suzuki from continuing his upward trajectory in European football this season.
Suzuki began his career at Shimizu S-Pulse, playing eighty-six games over a three-year period before attracting the attention of Strasbourg. He joined the French side, then managed by current QPR boss Julien Stephan, on a loan deal with an option to buy. This option was not exercised after Suzuki made little impact, playing just three times. Brondby were encouraged by his promising J-League statistics, and their faith in him was overwhelmingly rewarded. Suzuki recorded thirty-one goal contributions, evolving from a rotation option into the heartbeat of the Danish side’s attack. This impressive form caught the eye of several of Europe’s leading scouting networks, including Stuttgart and Strasbourg, before Freiburg secured his services. His star has continued to shine brightly since.
Remarkably, Suzuki is one of three Japanese players in the Freiburg squad with Rihito Yamamoto and Keisuke Goto also turning out for Schuster’s side. Both players were signed from Belgian side Sint-Truiden in the summer and represent a continuing Japanese flavour that is becoming a staple of the European football cuisine. Across the top five leagues, there are now over thirty active Japanese players. This is double the number there were at the time of the 2022 World Cup, barely four years ago.
In 1992, when the J-League was announced, the Japanese Football Association mapped out a “100-year vision” with the goal of winning the World Cup exactly a century later. One of the main steps the JFA took was merging the high school and academy football systems, offering high-school footballers the chance to train and compete against J-League academies. This creates a high-pressure environment in which players outside academy systems can still develop into excellent footballers. Suzuki, for example, graduated from Ichiritsu Funabashi High School before joining Shimizu S-Pulse on a professional contract.
The Japanese takeover looks set to continue, as the J-League has realigned its calendar to run from August to May, bringing it in line with European leagues. This should make it easier for European clubs interested in Japanese talent to recruit players without disrupting their domestic seasons. This new hotbed of talent looks set to continue producing highly sought-after players. Could Japan achieve its World Cup ambition before the target year of 2092?
Another player whose form has been key in Freiburg’s excellent start to the Bundesliga season has been Matthias Ginter. The thirty-two-year-old grizzled defender is now in his fifth season at the club and is has been a real pillar at the heart of their defence. His form is even more impressive given the fact the 52-times-capped German was surprisingly omitted from this summer’s World Cup squad. Ginter bounced back from this disappointment with three assists in his first four league matches this season and his good form has continued.
Earlier this month, Ginter’s strong start to the season was rewarded with a contract extension showing that Freiburg see the experienced German defender as a key pillar to build the future of the club around. Ginter’s career has taken on a real resurgence after rejoining the club from Gladbach as a free agent following a high-profile and quite public contract dispute. His final season at Gladbach (21/22) is seen as a real low point for Ginter as he was dropped from the starting line-up numerous times. A return to where it all started for him has seen him rediscover the form that had him known as one of the Bundesliga’s most reliable centre-backs during his time at Dortmund and Gladbach.
Julian Schuster uses Ginter as a key cog in build-up, asking him to dictate play from the back in order to execute a more dominant, short-passing style. At 6 ft 3in, he is a natural threat from set-pieces, particularly second phases of play where he often peels away from his marker to be a nuisance at the back post. A World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, Ginter’s exclusion from the national side has been a talking point amongst the public with many fans valuing his versatility and experience.
Jurgen Klopp, who managed Ginter at Dortmund, has made contact, with the defender describing a “good and appreciative talk” after his recent exclusion. With Ginter turning 34 before the 2028 Euros it will be a surprise to see him recalled to national duty but on current form he can certainly feel a little hard done by to remain an outsider.
With Freiburg next in Bundesliga action on Saturday afternoon against Augsburg, Schuster will be hoping that Ginter and Suzuki can help his team get back to winning ways after Sunday’s defeat to Bayern. Although beaten, Freiburg once again showed that they are up for the challenge, managing sixteen shots against one of Europe’s best. The club have never qualified for the Champions League, could this year finally be their year?
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