It seems inevitable that Zion Suzuki will move to the Premier League one day. Already courted by Manchester United and West Ham, it is just a matter of when. The hype is justified. This 22-year-old Japan international is seen as a new breed of goalkeeper.
It is by design. Japan have been throwing resources at football with a specific target in mind. Project 2050. The aim is to win a World Cup by then. Frans Hoek, the legendary goalkeeping coach, has been tasked with identifying the traits of the goalkeeper of the future.
“In Japan, we made a pathway for the talented goal players,” Hoek tells Sky Sports. Goal players – rather than keepers – is a deliberate nomenclature adopted by the Dutchman to reflect his belief that the job now demands much more than just keeping the ball out.
Zion Suzuki left Japan to join Belgian club Sint-Truiden before moving to Parma
In Suzuki, back when he was sat among the substitutes for Urawa Red Diamonds, Hoek spotted all the ingredients required to do it all. “I saw him in a camp and said, ‘This guy has to go to Europe as soon as possible. It does not matter what league it is. He has to play.'”
And so, Suzuki embarked on the adventure that has taken him to Belgium with Sint-Truiden, onto Italy with Parma and now linked with some of the richest clubs in Europe. Still only 22, the only question is when to make the leap. Those who know him do not doubt his talent.
Dennis Rudel worked with Suzuki during his debut season in Europe. Born in New York to a Ghanaian father, he might not look Japanese but he moved to his mother’s homeland as a child and was raised there. “That culture is totally his,” Rudel tells Sky Sports.
“He is a really quiet guy, a really calm character. That is him off the pitch.” On the pitch, Suzuki becomes something else entirely. He dominates. “He is really aggressive because he has massive physical strength.” He is 6’3″ but looks bigger. “He is so powerful, so dynamic.”
Zion Suzuki’s presence in the penalty box is a huge feature of his game as a goalkeeper
That physicality clearly underpins his potential. “It is like his body is just made of muscles. And I have never seen in my life a goalkeeper who can jump higher. His physical tests were off the charts.” But it is what this physicality enables him to do that is particularly intriguing.
Rudel enjoys telling the story of one of his first sessions with Suzuki. As the goalkeeper coach, he was setting up a drill. “I said to him, ‘Okay, now show me how far you can throw.’ I looked away and then saw this ball flying 20 metres over the halfway line,” he recalls.
“I turned around and said to him, ‘I told you to throw it not kick it.’ He just smiled back at me and replied, ‘But I did throw it.’ I told him to show me again because I could not believe that someone had that much power in their body that they could throw the ball that far.”
Rudel rates Suzuki as “above average” with his feet but as has been seen with Ederson at Manchester City, the tactical significance of being able to pass short and long has increased. Suzuki ranked third for long passes in Serie A last season and second for throws.
In Belgium, Rudel remembers some stunning saves away to Club Brugge, with one stop in particular becoming his trademark. “It is those low saves because he is so dynamic and so quick to get down. He has unbelievable reflexes. For me, that is his biggest strength.”
There have been many examples of that for Parma. One down to his left to keep out Tijjani Reijnders’ shot for AC Milan in the San Siro stands out, while the save away to Empoli against Ismael Konate was similar. Denying Como’s Marc Kempf a headed goal was even better.
The pick of the lot came against Roma in February when he produced an outrageous double save that defied belief. After keeping out Matias Soule’s shot, he somehow scrambled to claw away Anass Salah-Eddine’s follow-up. It was the save of the season.
Zion Suzuki completes his stunning double stop for Parma against Roma
“With those low power saves, his arms are so strong,” says Rudel in reference to the technique behind it. “Sometimes when goalkeepers go down fast and get their fingers to the ball, it still goes backwards. That never happens to him. He has crazy power in his hands.”
What makes Suzuki so fascinating is that he combines these reflex stops with a commanding presence. Think of the great goalkeepers and they tend to favour one or the other. But Suzuki does more than get down low to make saves, he gets high to snuff out the danger.
Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki ranked second for catches in Europe’s major leagues
He caught 55 crosses for Parma last season, 21 more than his nearest rival in Serie A. Across Europe’s five major leagues, only Joan Garcia, snapped up by Barcelona this summer, claimed more crosses. Outside the area, Suzuki ranked second in Serie A for sweeping up.
There are still things to work on, as one might expect of a goalkeeper who is still only 22 years old. He also dropped nine catches – a Serie A high – reflecting the fact that this desire to be proactive comes with risk. But he continues to progress, a theme of his short career.
“That is another of his strengths and why I am convinced that he can perform in the Premier League,” says Rudel. “He went from Japan to Belgium and then Belgium to Italy. Those are big adaptations but he did it really quickly. That is what separates the really good ones.”
Asked if Suzuki will go to the very top, Rudel has no doubts. “One hundred per cent.” The only question is how best to manage the journey. Some advise him to wait and play one more season with Parma. But sooner or later, Zion Suzuki will make a very big move.
