Who Is Yuito Suzuki? A closer look at SC Freiburg’s €10 million man | OneFootball

Since joining Brøndby IF from Shimizu S-Pulse in November 2023, Yuito Suzuki has taken Denmark by storm, scoring 23 goals and providing 15 assists in 69 appearances.

SC Freiburg were already interested in the Japanese international last summer, but had to wait a year to finally land their man. The Breisgau side paid a reported €10 million fee to land him, making Suzuki the most expensive sale in Brøndby’s history.

To get a clearer picture of what Suzuki can offer Freiburg and the Bundesliga, we reached out to Toke Theilade, editor-in-chief and owner of Brøndby site Vilfortpark.dk, who kindly shared his insights:

What qualities can Yuito Suzuki bring to Freiburg’s game? What would you highlight as his main strengths and weaknesses?

"He brings a lot of offensive quality. He's one of the most technically gifted players to ever play in the Danish Superliga, and has over the last two seasons contributed with several crucial goals and assists.

Physically, he is relatively quick. But what makes him special is his pace with the ball, where he is at a remarkably high level.

Technically, he is fantastic in tight areas and rarely loses the ball. He is not the guy that makes it past his opponents with fancy skills, but he is just efficient with his quick feet and knows when to take on defenders and when to pass it.

He has great vision and ability to set up his teammates. He is also a high level finisher that can take all kind of finishes. Lastly, he is good at finding open space around the penalty box, allowing him to get "easy" goals as well.

He is not the biggest guy though, and can struggle a bit in more physical games. Furthermore, he has had a habit of disappearing a bit from matches from time to time when things didn't went his way. He need to become more consistent and elevate his level in the matches where he isn't playing up to his best."

In your view, what is his best position on the pitch?

"He is quite versatile, and can play both as a central midfielder, as a number ten, a winger and a striker. He is best though, in my opinion, when playing either as a ten or as a second striker. He is not a classic number nine, and often goes far down the pitch, so you need someone in front of him.

When playing as a second striker, he both sets up his teammates but also becomes a scoring threat himself."

Who would you compare him with?

If we are to stay with the Brøndby/Bundesliga connection, there are some shades of Jesper Lindstrøm. Just like him, he also has a high top speed with the ball and is an incredibly dynamic and versatile.

As for more famous players, a young Andres Iniesta could also be a comparison. Back when he was playing in a more advanced role. They have similar vision, technique and passing patterns to their teammates."

Do you believe he’s ready to make an immediate impact in the Bundesliga, or will he require a significant adjustment period?

"Suzuki spent six months in France with Strasbourg in the Ligue 2 without doing anything there. Then it took him six months to adjust to life in Denmark, before breaking through and becoming one of the best players in the league.

By now, he has learned English, although not fluently, and has adjusted to life in Europe. So I think he's ready to perform from day one. He has matured a lot - as a person and a professional - in Denmark, and the issues he had in other countries should be gone by now.

He has also gotten used to playing for a big club at Brøndby with a big and very demanding fan base. So he's used to the pressure and high media coverage that follows with a move to a Bundesliga club."

How would you describe him as a person off the pitch?

“He is a very humble and down to earth guy. He has learned English while living in Denmark and has learned how to be a professional.

He is incredibly hard working and thrives to improve himself all the time. However, he has also learned now that he can't be a nice guy all the time and that he needs to get dirty on the pitch - at the games and in training now.

He is well liked among his teammates and a very relaxed guy. He goes out for coffee at cafes and is not the guy you would meet on the dance floor in the middle of the night.”

How high do you think his potential ceiling is?

“I think he can go far. With all due respect of Freiburg, I don't think that will be the peak of his career. He has some incredible tools with his pace, technique and movements that will be in demand at bigger clubs eventually. He is also hard working and seeks to improve, so unless something changes there, which would surprise me a lot, I think he will become a regular player in European football at the highest level.”