Dōan - the wing jewel Freiburg hope to keep | OneFootball

Ritsu Dōan: Who is the winger helping to power Freiburg's top-four push?

bundesliga.com has the lowdown on the player who has become a Freiburg stalwart after breaking German hearts at the 2022 World Cup...

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Stats correct as of 25 March 2025

Ritsu Dōan

Age: 26 (born 16 June 1998)Club: FreiburgPosition: WingerCountry: Japan (56 caps, ten goals)

Key stats

Dōan grew up in the town of Amagasaki, to the west of Osaka. His older brothers were mad about football and Ritsu quickly caught the bug too. Dōan received offers from several big clubs as a teenager and opted for Gamba Osaka, becoming part of a golden generation who won the club's first-ever treble at U15 level in 2012.

Dōan made his senior debut in May 2015, at 16 years and 344 days, in a 3-2 win over FC Seoul in the Asian Champions League. A week later, he became the youngest player in the club's history to play in the J1 League, against Kashima Antlers. In all, he netted four goals in 25 senior appearances for Osaka.

Named Asian Youth Player of the Year in 2016, Dōan also impressed at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2017, scoring three goals to help Japan reach the knockout stage. After a brilliant run and finish against Italy, he was even referred to as "the Japanese Messi" on the official FIFA Twitter page. It was only a matter of time before European clubs started showing an interest, and he duly signed on loan for FC Groningen in summer 2017. After an impressive maiden Eredivisie campaign - nine goals and four assists in 29 appearances - he was signed on a permanent deal.

In 66 games for Groningen, Dōan notched 16 goals and seven assists, earning himself a move to PSV Eindhoven in summer 2019. He endured a difficult debut campaign at the club, though, and in September 2020 joined Arminia Bielefeld on a season-long loan. The promoted side faced a battle to remain in the Bundesliga, but Dōan was one of their key performers in the fight for survival. He was Bielefeld's joint-top scorer with five goals - and got the better of the world's best goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer - in a defeat to Bayern Munich. He returned to parent club Eindhoven after keeping Arminia up, before securing a move back to the Bundesliga with Freiburg.

Dōan scored on his Bundesliga debut for Freiburg in August 2022 (in a 4-0 win at Augsburg) and also netted in his first appearances for the club in the DFB Cup and UEFA Europa League. That was only one small part of a year to remember as he netted massive goals at the 2022 World Cup for the Samurai Blue against Germany and Spain to seal their progression from the group stage. He managed nine goal contributions in the Bundesliga in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. A brace in a 5-0 win against Werder Bremen in February 2025 saw him reach 20 Bundesliga goals for Freiburg in his third season there, while he has 11 assists to his name at the Black Forest club he has been a continual creative force for.

Plays a bit like: Xherdan Shaqiri

While comparisons with Lionel Messi may be a little far-fetched, the 24-year-old does share traits with former Bayern midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, now of Chicago Fire. Both men are of fairly diminutive stature - Dōan measures 5'8", while Shaqiri is a shade shorter at 5'7" - but that low centre of gravity makes them formidable dribblers of the ball, and they aren't shy about throwing themselves into challenges either. The pair also share a magic left foot and like to get involved in setting goals up as well as putting them away.

Did you know?

Dōan isn't the only member of his family to have become a footballer. His older brother Yu also plays professionally, although admittedly not at the same level as Ritsu. He is a defensive midfielder who has had spells with various clubs in Japan's lower leagues, most recently Ococias Kyoto.

What they're saying

"Ritsu is extremely important for us, and we will do everything to keep him. There are good footballing and personal reasons he might want to stay here. If there is going to be a perfect time for him to leave, then it will probably be next summer, but only if the offer is right." - Freiburg sporting director Klemens Hartenbach on Dōan's future in March 2025

"Ritsu Doan has developed superbly this year, and he has become much more effective. He has a really high inner motivation to improve and is leading the way." - Freiburg coach Julian Schuster in February 2025

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