Eintracht is strengthening with Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan. Its one-on-one-one strength in particular should bring a new element to Hessian game. But the Japanese brings more skills – even away from the lawn.
Ritsu Doan gave his new colleague from Frankfurt in this final about the Champions League, he dribbled and dribbled and dribbled until even an Arthur Theat involuntarily went on the pants. Doan also scored a goal, the lead, and briefly grabbed the ball from the danger zone on his own sixteen. But: it should not be enough, at least not for SC Freiburg, which in the future can prove itself in the Europa League, while Doan will experience personal ascent to the class of kings – at Eintracht.
It had been rumored for a long time about the change of the Japanese international from Breisgau to Hessenland, chewing gum-like negotiations lasted, even FC Bayern is said to have briefly mixed, but in the end it actually occurred as it was suspected. Doan joins the harmony, signed a contract until 2030. The Frankfurters prevailed against competition from home and abroad, they cost the Japanese international 21 million euros of socket solutions, another million could come to bonus payments on top.
Quality in a confined space
So far, so well known. But what is this Ritsu Doan? First of all, the 27-year-old is one of the best wing players in the Bundesliga. With its deep focus and an apparently very flexible hip, the 1.72-meter man can be uncomfortable for every opponent, he is able to wake them out on closest rooms. An ability that was difficult to find in the Eintracht squad on the wings.
Doan is not one who sticks to the line, but rather pulls into the middle from the right with his strong left foot. “When someone plays with the wrong foot on the wing and pulls inwards, it helps to build up the game from the chain of four and to keep up with the full-backs”, coach Dino Toppmöller recently described the advantages of Doule’s names in the USA training camp.
Eight assists in the past Bundesliga season are no coincidence, Doan is looking for his teammates. In addition, he scored ten goals himself, a strong value for an outdoor car player. In the past few years, Doan has put on purpose in the goal of the goal.
The models Kagawa and Hasebe
Two dribblings have been successful on average per game – which does not sound so much, it is a strong value. Only the very big names were on the road last season: Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Michael Olise and Omar Marmoush. Immediately behind, Doan joins. In the Freiburg team, he was also the man who put on the most sprints and intensive runs – by far. “He took a great development,” praised his ex-coach Julian Schuster.
At 19, Doan left his home and has been playing in Europe since 2017. Initially in Groningen in Dutch, later together with Mario Götze in Eindhoven. In Germany he first noticed Arminia Bielefeld in 2021, at the 2022 World Cup he then met on the very big stage against Germany and thus initiated the preliminary round out of the DFB team.
The Bundesliga has always been a dream destination for him, Doan said. The reason: his Japanese role models kicked here, ex-Dortmund Shinji Kagawa and a certain Makoto Hasebe. The Frankfurt legend, now assistant coach at Eintracht-U21, is said to have played a (small) role in the persuasion process.
A poster boy in Japan
Ritsu Doan is a star in Japan, certainly not the greatest, but very much a well -known face that is not bought as a poster boy by various global corporations. Advertising clips with Doan also run regularly on Japanese TV. The Japanese media people, who stopped in Frankfurt for years and regularly to interview Hasebe, were often guests in Breisgau. What Ritsu Doan is doing is interested in the home.
In private he is not looking for the spotlight, he is considered a very, very quiet representative of the football guild. Machpielers describe Doan as a pleasant counterpart who (almost) gears everything towards football in his life. Otherwise, he deals a lot with fashion, has an apparently very well-running donut shop in Japan and would like to buy a racehorse at some point. So that would also be clarified.
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