Freiburg's attacker Yuito Suzuki on his hat-trick heroics, aims for the season and fans in Japan
Freiburg's Japanese attacker Yuito Suzuki has spoken to the Bundesliga about the sensational start to the season for him and his club, plus what it means to be part of the growing Japanese contingent in the German top flight.
Bundesliga: How special was it to score a hat-trick in the first Bundesliga match of the season against Werder Bremen?
Suzuki: "In the three games before the Bundesliga season started, I hadn’t scored a goal or got an assist. So, I told myself it was about time I got among the goals, and then I went and scored a hat-trick straight away. I was obviously delighted. It was great to see that the work we put in during pre-season paid off right from the first game. The season has only just begun though, so now I want to consistently put in performances of that level.”
Bundesliga: Five matches into the season in all competitions, Freiburg have won all five - how did you manage that?
Suzuki: "It’s true that we’ve made a really good start to the season. I joined the team a little later than everyone else, but I think what we worked on in pre-season and at the training camp is now paying off on the pitch.”
Bundesliga: What can Freiburg now aim for this season?
Suzuki: "I’d like to finish the season with a title, or as high up the table as possible. The season is still right at the start though. Rather than looking too far ahead, our focus is on winning the two games before the international break. How we go into that break will shape how the rest of the season develops, so right now I’m concentrating fully on the next two matches.”
Bundesliga: Freiburg have a habit of overperforming expectations - what do you think the secret to that is?
Suzuki: "To be honest, we’re not a club with the huge financial resources that the really big clubs have. Staying true to our own style and continuing to develop is now showing results, both on the European stage and in the Bundesliga. This club has a lot of special qualities, but the most important thing is that we stay grounded, everyone does their job properly, and we just keep working hard. That’s what brings success."
Bundesliga: You have two Japanese teammates at the moment in Rihito Yamamoto and Keisuke Gotō - is that creating extra interest in Freiburg in Japan?
Suzuki: "Freiburg are known in Japan as the club Ritsu Dōan played for over three years. Ritsu is an outstanding and well-known player, and I think a lot of people first got to know Freiburg through him. Even today, plenty of people in Japan know the club. For us to become even better known, we need to keep performing well on the pitch. There are definitely Freiburg fans in Japan though.”
Bundesliga. Do you have a sense of just how popular the Bundesliga is in Japan?
Suzuki: “It’s hard to say exactly how big the interest is, but for football fans in Japan, the Bundesliga is definitely a league worth keeping an eye on. I used to watch the games on TV back in Japan myself. With so many Japanese professionals playing here this season, the league is getting huge attention back home right now."
Bundesliga: As well as having two Japanese teammates, Mio Backhaus speaks Japanese as his mother is from Japan, does that help?
Suzuki: "Both my teammates and the coaching staff speak English, so within the team I really only speak English. That means I don’t need Mio as an interpreter in training. When we go out to eat together, though, he takes care of ordering in German. That's a huge help.”
Bundesliga: How big a step was it to move to Europe as a Japanese player?
Suzuki: "I was just really excited about it. Even when I was young, I had a strong desire to move abroad as soon as possible to develop in a new environment. When it came to living abroad and speaking a foreign language, I obviously wondered how it would go at first, but I told myself that once I was there it would work itself out somehow. That’s exactly how it turned out. Things didn’t go perfectly at the start in France [on loan at Strasbourg in 2023], but that was also a valuable experience for me.”
