In November 2001, the first Japanese goalkeeper to play English league football conceded a goal within the first minute of his debut. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi may have struggled for second-tier Portsmouth, conceding 21 times in his 12 league games after being spotted by the then director of football, Harry Redknapp, but he also produced some world-class saves and had glowing things to say about the Royal Mail. Replaced by a 42-year-old Dave Beasant, Kawaguchi nevertheless remains a cult hero on the south coast, as a standing ovation in his final game demonstrated.
Despite going on to play 116 times for Japan, he never made the jump to the Premier League. Now though, finally, Japan has a No 1 in the top flight. Zion Suzuki has big gloves to fill at Aston Villa, where he is set to take over from Emiliano Martínez.
In terms of mentality and self‑belief, succeeding a World Cup winner at a Champions League club will not be an issue. The 23-year‑old has already overcome plenty of barriers. If much has changed in Japanese football in a quarter of a century, the same can be said of the past 30 months or so since the Asian Cup, when the US-born shot-stopper made a number of errors as Japan, the continent’s No 1 team, crashed out at the quarter-final stage.
While some of his teammates did not exactly impress in Qatar, it was Suzuki who copped the blame. That was tough enough to take for any goalkeeper, let alone a 20-year-old, but there was another level. The player with a Japanese mother and a Ghanaian-American father became the target of racist abuse online.
After a short spell with Urawa Reds, one of Japan’s and Asia’s biggest clubs, in August 2023 he left for a season in Belgium with Sint-Truiden. It went so well that, 12 months later, there was a five-year deal with Parma, where he quickly established himself. One of the strongest goalkeepers around, his athleticism and shot‑stopping are not in doubt, as he showed during the World Cup, with a low save from Vinícius Júnior catching the eye.
His positioning can still improve but he is good in the air (second in Serie A last season for crosses caught and high claims) and on the ground (second for successful long passes). Adapting to England’s congested six-yard areas may take time and dominating the box like Martínez may take more. Since the Asian Cup, he has barely put a glove wrong for Japan and, despite a few mistakes at Parma, he was the main man between the sticks from when he joined until, well, Wednesday morning.
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