Zion Suzuki was just 20 and had never played in Europe, but when he strode into the training ground of Sint-Truiden in 2023, his new team-mates were impressed.
The 6ft 3in (191cm) goalkeeper, who turns 24 this month, had turned down interest from Manchester United to join the Belgian Pro League side, but his age was always going to give more experienced players pause for thought.
Any fears the new arrival on loan from Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds may have lacked maturity, though, were quickly dispelled.
When asked why he had turned down a move to compete with then United No 1 Andre Onana at Old Trafford, he told Goal three years ago: “I decided to transfer this time as a step up in aiming to be the best in the world. There was an offer from Manchester United. I decided on this transfer to steadily take the next step in my career.”
The level of maturity, willing to take a less illustrious step to further his career, was an insight into Suzuki’s mindset. Even at that formative stage, it was not the first big decision he had faced.
Suzuki was born in Newark, New Jersey, in August 2002 to a Ghanaian-American father and Japanese mother, but his family moved to Urawa shortly after, when he was still a baby.
It meant he was eligible to represent the USMNT, Ghana and Japan, but chose the nation where he had spent most of his life before moving to Belgium. He played for Japan’s age-group sides as a teenager before making his senior debut aged 19 in 2022, keeping a clean sheet in a 6-0 win over Hong Kong.
Now the player, reportedly named by his mother after the biblical Mount Zion in Jerusalem, is ready to cap his ascent by becoming Aston Villa’s new goalkeeper, having played all four games for Japan at the World Cup before they lost to Brazil in the round of 32.
Japan were knocked out of the World Cup by Brazil in the round of 32 (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Succeeding the Premier League club’s current No 1 Emi Martinez represents a challenge, but Suzuki is resilient and has faced far more difficult issues.
Back in 2024, he had to deal with racist abuse after errors in his sixth performance for Japan, during an Asia Cup defeat by Iraq. At the time, he said he accepted criticism of his performances but “would like people to stop making racist comments”.
“I’m not about to let it beat me,” he said. “I want to come back at them by producing good results.”
“It was crazy to think he was as young as he was when he arrived,” Sint-Truiden centre-back Wolke Janssens tells The Athletic.
“I would call him a top professional. He would work really hard in training and always try to better himself.”
Janssens would be one of those defenders playing in front of Suzuki in a new environment.
The young ‘keeper had spent all his club career at Urawa, in a city around 30km (18 miles) north of Tokyo, where his parents moved when he was young.
But the chance to move to Belgium was his opportunity to play regularly, with his new club’s former goalkeeper (fellow Japan international Daniel Schmidt) on the brink of moving on.
Suzuki moved to Sint-Truiden in Belgium in the summer of 2023 (VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
“He was still young when he arrived in Belgium, but it felt like he was already a professional player who had been going for 15 years,” says Janssens. “His eagerness was what stood out most to me.
“You could see he adapted quickly to life here. With his big frame and excellent mindset, it was clear he was destined for a future in Europe.
“I remember him as a reliable ‘keeper. You could see STVV (Sint-Truiden) wasn’t going to be his final team. Whilst he wasn’t faultless, he was very self-assured.”
It was that confidence which led Suzuki to turn down one of the world’s biggest teams, even if his dream was to play in the Premier League.
“With so many players succeeding overseas, being a goalkeeper is truly a difficult position to fill,” Suzuki told Goal as he moved to Belgium in 2023.
“There aren’t any Japanese goalkeepers currently playing in the Premier League, so I want to be the first one to achieve that.”
Fast-forward three years and Suzuki is on the verge of fulfilling that ambition at Villa, after starring for his country at this summer’s World Cup.
Such has been the depth of Villa’s planning, they have taken in Suzuki’s season in Belgium, which was followed by his move to Parma in Italy.
He made 32 appearances for the upwardly mobile Sint-Truiden, with six clean sheets, as other clubs around Europe intensified their interest in him.
He has long been on Villa’s radar. Unai Emery has been planning for the exit of No 1 Emi Martinez for the last two summers, and much detailed work has duly gone into sourcing his replacement.
Emery and Villa have been planning for Martinez’s exit (Francisco Seco / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
The Midlanders have been in contact with Parma all summer about Suzuki’s situation, keeping abreast of his proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain and then, last week, learning that it was on the brink of collapse. They wasted no time in acting.
Although James Trafford, who has since joined Leeds, and Lens shot-stopper Robin Risser were strong options, Suzuki was always the preferred choice.
Villa believed the player’s preference, as he had stated with his Premier League ambition, was always to move to Villa Park.
When it became clear he was going to leave Italy, the Villa hierarchy decided to address the position of their new No 1 now instead of waiting for another season.
Martinez had a strong campaign as Villa finished fourth, and he reached a World Cup final again with Argentina in July, but there has been concern around the 33-year-old’s late withdrawals last season (on four occasions, he pulled out in warm-ups).
Marco Bizot, recruited last year from Brest in France, stepped in and covered well. He is considered a capable and experienced deputy to Suzuki, who travelled to Birmingham on Sunday, had a medical on Monday, and is in line to be the club’s first-choice ‘keeper this term.
A source with knowledge of many of the Villa players, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships, says the squad is impressed and enthused by his impending arrival.
Away from the pitch, Suzuki told CBS in 2024 that he likes to play golf, although not watch it, and listens to the music of Japanese rapper AK-69 for motivation.
His high-profile performances for Japan at the World Cup caught even further attention, beginning with some excellent stops in the 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
“I watched that game,” adds Janssens. “A lot of the players on the pitch (in that game), I’ve played with at STVV. It’s great to see so many of them at the biggest stage.
Suzuki impressed against the Netherlands at the World Cup (Aric Becker / AFP via Getty Images)
“I knew Zion had a lot of qualities, but was somewhat surprised he got to this level as soon as he did. Normally, it takes players numerous years to improve as much as he did.
“He was great at communicating. You could see that he wanted to make sure his defenders are completely aware of what’s going on.
“I’ve played with a lot of great goalkeepers, but with Zion you could feel like there was someone you could rely upon.”
Single-minded, calm and ready to flourish. Villa will hope Suzuki’s ability to thrive at every step continues into the first season of his dream move.
