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Japan enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a ton of confidence.
One of the reasons: They believe in their goalie, Zion Suzuki.
Suzuki hasn't taken a traditional path to the Japanese national team, but he earned the job between the posts and now will play a key role in their journey in North America this summer.
Here's what you need to know about Suzuki.
MORE: Cyle Larin proves all the cliches true for Canada
Who is Japan's goalie?
Japan's goalie is Zion Suzuki.
He's a 23-year old who plays in Italy's Serie A for Parma.
He entered the World Cup having played 22 matches at the senior level for Japan.
MORE: Tim Howard commercial disrespects USMNT legend
Where are Zion Suzuki's parents from?
Suzuki was born to a father from Ghana and a mother from Japan.
He was actually born in Newark, New Jersey.
When he was still a kid, Suzuki and his family moved to Urawa in Japan.
He played goalie from an early age and came up in the academy of the Urawa Red Diamonds.
Suzuki never represented another country at the youth level, either, starting his Japanese career at the U15 level and carrying on all the way to the starting goalie job for the senior national team.
More FIFA World Cup news:
- Japan fans clean up the stadium after World Cup games
- Lamine Yamal hanging out at a Walmart
- Mexico has a World Cup… duck?
- Lawrence, Kansas has fallen in love with the Algerian national team
- Germany fan Freddy is going viral for his journey through the American South
Billy Heyen
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive high school sports coverage at the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. When people ask if he's seen a movie, the answer is usually "No, I was probably watching sports." Even away from sports, his main hobby is running (much slower than any athlete in these pages).
Source: Sporting News
