Ritsu Doan: small in stature, big on achievement | OneFootball

From his Bundesliga debut in Frankfurt to finishing second in the league with Eindhoven and teaming up with Götze again, here are ten things you need to know about our new signing.

He may now be the smallest player in Frankfurt but he made a big impression in Freiburg. And as far as Eintracht fans, team-mates and management are concerned, they are hoping that he will continue to leave a big mark on the Bundesliga.

“We’re delighted that Ritsu’s joined us. With his strengths and particularly that left foot of his, he’ll create plenty of chances,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche of the club’s new recruit. The statistics speak for themselves as far as the 27-year-old winger is concerned:

And with his impressive fitness record over recent seasons, it is clear that Doan has not only the silky skills but also the physical solidity to play in all three competitions this season. With ten goals, eight assists and a 75.75 per cent rating in terms of successful passes, he leads the pack among current Eagles forwards when it comes to finding a team-mate. Here is another fun fact: in 2024/25, the other summer signing Jonathan Burkardt came in just behind with 75.74 per cent.

But back to Doan, and the highlights of his professional career to date. He has been playing at the highest level for 10 years, so here are 10 facts about the flying winger.

10 years as a pro…

… for the Amagasaki-born forward, with the first of those coming at Gamba Osaka. He made it into the first team in 2015, with his debut in the J-League coming in the month of June when he was aged a mere 16 years, 11 months and 18 days. A year later, Groningen came calling and Doan moved to Europe, first on loan and then on a permanent deal in 2018. In 2019, he was transferred from one Dutch side to another when PSV Eindhoven picked him up, loaning him out in 2020 to then Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld, for whom he played in all 34 matches that season. His eight goal involvements played a major role in DSC avoiding relegation. After another season in Eindhoven, he moved back to Germany, this time to Freiburg. For Japan, Doan has won 57 caps since making his full international debut in 2018, scoring ten goals.

9 in the Kopa Trophy rankings

Speaking of 2018, that was when Doan was among the finalists for the Kopa Trophy, which recognises the world’s best footballers under the age of 21. The jury ended up giving their points to the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Christian Pulisic, Justin Kluivert, Rodrygo, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Patrick Cutrone and Houssem Aouar. Doan and Amadou Haidara came away empty-handed, meaning that the two of them finished ninth in the official ranking for this illustrious prize.

8 meetings with Eintracht

Doan knows the Deutsche Bank Park well, having played there three times with Freiburg and coming once to the Stadtwald with Bielefeld, the latter incidentally being his very first appearance in German football’s top flight. On the final day of last season in the thriller that decided who would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Doan made it 1-0 for the hosts, scoring his third goal in eight matches versus the Eagles. Only against Fortuna Sittard has the winger found the back of the net more often.

7 competitions

A magical competition for a magic number. When Eintracht Frankfurt make their second appearance in Europe’s foremost club competition this September, it will be Doan’s seventh European campaign. As well as playing in the domestic competitions in Germany and Holland, he has also cut his teeth in the Europa League and the Conference League. As for the Champions League, Eindhoven came up short in a qualifying round against Benfica in 2021, with Doan not brought into action.

6 previous Japanese players…

… have worn an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey over the years. Following in the footsteps of Naohiro Takahara, Junichi Inamoto, Takashi Inui, Daichi Kamada and Makoto Hasebe, Ritsu is now writing the next chapter in this particular story at the heart of Europe. And like Hasebe and Inamoto, Doan has chosen to wear the number 20.

5 major tournaments…

… that Doan has played in to date for his country. In 2017, he caught the eye at the U-20 World Cup with three goals. In 2018 and 2022 he appeared in the Asian Championship, while he also represented Japan at the Olympic Games in 2021. In 2022, he etched his name into the memory of an entire country in the deciding group game of the World Cup, when he equalised against Germany just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. Japan went on to score again and win 2-1, booking a spot in the round of 16 and sending Germany home.

4 in the dribbling stats…

… according to Opta: Since moving to Freiburg in 2022, only Jamal Musiala (431), Florian Wirtz (413) and Leroy Sané (407) have taken on opponents directly more often than Doan, who sits fourth on 362.

3 shot-creating actions

… is Doan’s career average per match. 3.17 per 90 minutes to be exact, according to analysis portal Football Statistics and History (fbref). In 2024/25, this was as high as 3.49 in the league, with 111 in total – the most shot-creating actions in his career. His most appearances was 33 which came for Bielefeld, along with a personal record of 2,862 minutes of playing time.

2 ...

... is the highest that Doan has ever finished in the league. After coming 12th, eighth and ninth with Groningen then fourth with Eindhoven, he and PSV finished as runners-up in the 2021/22 Eredivisie season.

1 major title, alongside a familiar face

That season, Doan got to play alongside Mario Götze, who joined Eintracht after the end of the campaign. The two of them won the Dutch Cup in 2022, which was Doan’s first and to date only trophy at club level.

Welcome to the heart of Europa, Ritsu Doan!