AUDIO: Bundesliga soccer team FC St. Pauli signs Japanese player (1 min)
As of: January 1, 2026 11:41 a.m
Bundesliga soccer team FC St. Pauli presented their first winter transfer on New Year’s Day. The Hamburg team is strengthening itself with the Japanese defender Tomoya Ando.
The 26-year-old central defender is moving from first division club Avispa Fukuoka to the Hanseatic League, the club announced on Thursday. The Bundesliga club did not comment on the transfer details or the contract term.
“With him we get a player who anticipates excellently, defends offensively and often wins balls. He also has an explosive start and header game, which also makes him dangerous offensively.”
Coach Alexander Blessin
Ando’s club Fukuoka was promoted the previous year. In his first season in the first division, the defensive player made 36 appearances and scored four goals. Ando played in three games for the Japanese national team. At FC St. Pauli he meets his compatriot Joel Chima Fujita.
Bornemann: “Additional flexibility”
“By signing Tomoya, we are giving our defense additional flexibility as he can be used in all positions in the back three,” said sports director Andreas Bornemann.
