Ritsu Doan #10

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At the Qatar World Cup Doan scored against both Germany and Spain, staking his claim to be Japan’s leading attacking threat. Cutting in from the right at speed he poses a constant threat with his powerful left-footed shot. Despite being just 1.73m he is physically strong, too. His ability to deliver on the biggest stage means he has often been compared to former Japan star Keisuke Honda, not only for his style but also for his strong sense of self-belief. He said in February: “I do have the sense that people are depending on me … I want to be the kind of player who makes his team a winning team. I think we need the kind of players where the coach and the team can feel like ‘I know that I can count on Ritsu when he’s around’, or ‘Ritsu can help us settle down even when things get tricky’, or ‘if he’s standing strong, we stay solid as well’, that sort of thing. The best teams always have players like that.” He has played his club football in Germany since 2020, initially on loan at Arminia Bielefeld from PSV, then with Freiburg and, since last year, with Eintracht Frankfurt following an £18m move.

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