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Zion Suzuki

Japanese footballer (born 2002)

Zion Suzuki

Zion Suzuki is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Parma. Born in the United States, he represents the Japan national team.

Zion Suzuki

Zion Suzuki
Suzuki with Japan in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth Newark, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Parma
Number 31
Youth career
2009–2020 Urawa Red Diamonds
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Urawa Red Diamonds 8 (0)
2023–2024 → Sint-Truiden (loan) 32 (0)
2024– Parma 57 (0)
International career‡
2016–2017 Japan U15 7 (0)
2017 Japan U16 2 (0)
2017–2019 Japan U17 9 (0)
2018 Japan U18 1 (0)
2021 Japan U23 1 (0)
2022– Japan 25 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Japan
EAFF Championship
Winner2022 JapanTeam
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:38, 17 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Zion Suzuki[3] (鈴木 彩艶, Suzuki Zaion; born 21 August 2002) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Parma. Born in the United States, he represents the Japan national team.

Early life

Suzuki was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States, to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother.[4][5][failed verification] He was named after the biblical location of Mount Zion near Jerusalem.[6] His family moved to Japan while he was young and settled in Urawa, Saitama, where he grew up.[7]

Suzuki took up football in kindergarten, following his older brother into the sport, and played as a goalkeeper from his years at elementary school.[5] He joined the academy of his local club, Urawa Red Diamonds, as an elementary school student and came up through its junior, junior youth, and youth teams.[8][9] He attended N High School, a correspondence school, while in the youth team.[citation needed]

Club career

Urawa Red Diamonds

Suzuki's professional career began with Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds when he was 16 years and five months old, making him the youngest player in the history of the club to sign a professional contract. Suzuki made his debut for the club on 2 March 2021 in the J.League Cup match against Shonan Bellmare where he kept a clean sheet. His first appearance in the J1 League came on 9 May 2021 in a match against Vegalta Sendai where he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win.[5] He would then go on to play in the next five consecutive league matches with main choice goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa dropped due to poor performances. He recorded four clean sheets in six matches for Urawa Reds. Suzuki won the New Hero Award of the 2021 J.League Cup in his first season at the club.

Suzuki made his 2022 AFC Champions League debut against Singaporean club Lion City Sailors on 15 April 2022; however, he made a costly error after receiving a back pass from David Moberg Karlsson which resulted in an own goal. In the next match against Chinese side Shandong Taishan, he kept a clean sheet in a 5–0 win. Suzuki played in the club four group stage fixtures before being dropped in favour of the first choice goalkeeper, Shusaku Nishikawa, in the run all the way to the 2022 AFC Champions League final. Suzuki helped the club to win the 2022 AFC Champions League trophy and the 2022 Japanese Super Cup.

Sint-Truiden

In August 2023, Suzuki was sent on loan from the Urawa Red Diamonds to Sint-Truiden, a team in the Belgian Pro League. He served as the understudy for fellow Japanese goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt before he was named the starter.

On 1 February 2024, it was announced that Suzuki's loan with Sint-Truiden would be converted into a permanent transfer for the next season on 1 July 2024.[10]

Parma

On 15 July 2024, Serie A club Parma announced the signing of Suzuki to a five-year contract. He became the second Japanese national team player to represent the club after Hidetoshi Nakata, who joined the club in mid-2001.[11][12]

On 17 August 2024, he made his league debut against Fiorentina, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[13]

International career

Suzuki has represented Japan at multiple levels in youth football. On 19 July 2022, he earned his first cap with Japan's national team, playing the full match against Hong Kong in the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, which his side won 6–0.[14]

He played in Japan's opening match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, a 4–2 win against Vietnam. He also played in their following 1–2 defeat to Iraq, logging one save.

On 15 May 2026, Suzuki was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2026[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Urawa Red Diamonds 2021 J1 League 60009000150
2022 J1 League 2000204[c]080
2023 J1 League 0010500060
Total 801016040290
Sint-Truiden (loan) 2023–24 Belgian Pro League 32000——320
Parma 2024–25 Serie A 37000——370
2025–26 Serie A 20020——220
Total 57020——590
Career total 97030160401200

International

As of match played 14 June 2026[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Japan 202210
202320
2024130
202550
202640
Total250

Honours

Urawa Red Diamonds

Japan

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Who is Zion Suzuki? Japan's goalie was born in the U.S. to parents from different countries". wfaa 1913. 14 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Zion Suzuki – Player Profile – Football". Japan Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: Japan" (PDF). FIFA. 31 October 2019. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2019.
  4. ↑ Livengood, Paul (14 June 2026). "Who is Zion Suzuki? Japan's goalie was born in the U.S. to parents from different countries". Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "ZION SUZUKI IS A GIALLOBLU". Tribal Football. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "U-15世代の中学生GK鈴木彩艶がU-17代表で学びの一週間。「這い上がっていけるように」" [U-15 goalkeeper Zion Suzuki spends a week learning with the U-17 national team: "So I can work my way up."]. ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 18 July 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "浦和ＧＫ鈴木彩艶、シントトロイデン移籍を発表「世界で闘ってきます」マンＵの獲得打診断り決断" [Urawa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki announces transfer to Sint-Truiden: "I will compete on the world stage" — turns down approach from Man U before making decision.]. Hochi Shimbun. 6 August 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Fujie, Naoto. 鈴木彩艶が挑み続ける西川周作の背中。「いつかは必ず越えたい」16歳差の守護神が育んだライバル関係と絆. REAL SPORTS (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  9. ↑ 鈴木 彩艶（パルマ 背番号31） [Zion Suzuki (Parma No. 31)]. Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Announcement of permanent transfer of Zion Suzuki to Sint-Truiden VV". www.urawa-reds.co.jp (in Japanese). Urawa Red Diamonds. February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Subiantoro, Paulinus Hardi (16 July 2024). "Resmi Gabung Parma, Zion Suzuki Jadi Pemain Jepang Kedua yang Main di Gialloblu" [Officially joining Parma, Zion Suzuki becomes the second Japanese player to play for the Gialloblu.]. Indozone (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  12. ↑ "Zion Suzuki is a Gialloblu". Parma Calcio 1913. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  13. ↑ "Parma 1-1 Fiorentina: Match report and highlights". MSN. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Z. Suzuki". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Mitoma misses out as Japan squad named". 15 May 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Zion Suzuki at Soccerway
  17. ↑ Zion Suzuki at National-Football-Teams.com Edit this at Wikidata
  18. ↑ "Urawa Reds edge Al Hilal for historic third title". AFC. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Orlowitz, Dan (6 May 2023). "Urawa beats Al Hilal to capture third Asian Champions League title". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "JPFA 日本プロサッカー選手会" [JPFA – Japan Professional Footballers Association]. ニュース：JPFA 日本プロサッカー選手会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "IFFHS CONTINENTAL TEAMS 2024 – AFC MEN". IFFHS. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "IFFHS TEAMS OF THE YEAR 2025". IFFHS. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.