Japanese goalkeeper becomes phenomenon in Italy

AS calls Suzuki the "new Buffon" of Parma. After Buffon retires from goalkeeping with Parma in 2023, the Italian team chose Suzuki as his replacement.

It was a deal that surprised many people. Because the Japanese star was still relatively unknown and Serie A had little precedent for using goalkeepers from Asia.

As soon as he arrived at Parma, Suzuki immediately surpassed veteran goalkeeper Chichizola to win the starting position. In just a few months, he proved his quality. Suzuki is currently one of the 5 best U23 goalkeepers of the 2024/25 season.

Despite conceding 13 goals in 11 Serie A matches in 2024/25, the Japanese goalkeeper has a save percentage of 73%. With a total of 36 saves, Suzuki has an expected goals saved rate of 1.72 xG/match this season.

In addition, Suzuki continues to improve his ability to play with his feet. He averages 62% passing accuracy in Serie A. That is also the reason why Suzuki is used by the Japanese team in the 2024 Asian Cup, despite the controversy when making mistakes in the match against Vietnam in the group stage.

Suzuki is 1.9 m tall and was born on August 21, 2002 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Since he was a child, this goalkeeper moved to Japan. Because his father is Ghanaian-American and his mother is Japanese, Suzuki is eligible to represent 3 different teams, but chose to wear the jersey of the team from the land of the rising sun.

Suzuki developed his talent early and played for Urawa Reds for three seasons before joining Sint-Truiden, a Belgian team, on loan in the summer of 2023. He was scouted by MU. However, the 22-year-old goalkeeper decided to choose Parma in a contract worth 6.5 million euros.