Werder’s U21 national player
©IMAGO
U21 national player Mio Backhaus from SV Werder Bremen could also play for Japan due to his mother’s origins. The Japanese association is said to be making intensive efforts to secure the services of the 21-year-old. In an interview with the “PictureHowever, the Mönchengladbach native explained that even if he were offered to go to the World Cup, he wouldn’t necessarily turn away from the DFB: “I wouldn’t let myself be tempted by it. If I don’t feel the decision, I would refuse.”
In general, Backhaus said he has not yet made a final choice as to whether he wants to play for Japan or Germany. In 2018 he initially played for the Japanese U15, and since then he has played for every DFB team. He is happy with the U21. “If I choose Japan, the decision would be final. As a Japanese national player, the main issue is the long journeys. It is difficult to regularly fly so far and then give your top performance in the club a few days later.”
In the German goal, Backhaus, who has been a Werder regular since this season and recently doubled his market value to 4 million euros, is likely to duel for the place in the medium term with Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu (23), Bayern’s Jonas Urbig (22) and possibly Diant Ramaj (24), who was loaned to Heidenheim from BVB. With Max Weiß (21), Dennis Seimen (19), Johannes Schenk (22) and Nahuel Noll (22), there are other great talents in the position where for many years it was unclear who should follow Manuel Neuer (39) and Marc-André ter Stegen (33). Zion Suzuki (23) has been number one in Japan since 2023. Since his €8.2 million move from St. Truiden to Parma a year ago, he has become one of the most valuable keepers in Serie A and is valued at €20 million. Leo Kokubo (24) at Suzuki’s former club and Taishi Brandon Nozawa (22) at Royal Antwerp are also going via Belgium.
At a glance: The most valuable keepers in Germany / Japan
