# Zion Suzuki

Zion Suzuki (鈴木 彩艶, Suzuki Zaion, born 21 August 2002) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Parma and the Japan national team.

## Early life

Suzuki was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States, to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother. He was named after the biblical location of Mount Zion near Jerusalem. Suzuki's family later moved to Japan, settling in Urawa, Saitama, where he was raised.

## Club career
### Urawa Red Diamonds

Suzuki's professional career began with Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds when he was 16-years and five months old, making him the youngest player in the history of the club to sign a professional contract. Suzuki made his debut for the club on 2 March 2021 in the J.League Cup match against Shonan Bellmare where he kept a clean sheet. His first appearance in the J1 League came on 9 May 2021 in a match against Vegalta Sendai where he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win. He would then go on to play in the next five consecutive league matches with main choice goalkeeper, Shusaku Nishikawa dropped due to poor performances. He recorded four clean sheets in six matches for Urawa Reds. Suzuki won the 2021 J.League Cup in his first season at the club.
Suzuki made his 2022 AFC Champions League debut against Singaporean club Lion City Sailors on 15 April 2022, however, he made a costly error after receiving a back pass from David Moberg Karlsson which resulted in an own goal. In the next match against Chinese side Shandong Taishan, he kept a clean sheet in a 5–0 win. Suzuki played in the club four group stage fixtures before being dropped in favour of first choice goalkeeper, Shusuke Nishikawa in the run all the way to the 2022 AFC Champions League final. Suzuki helped the club to win the 2022 AFC Champions League trophy and the 2022 Japanese Super Cup.

### Sint-Truiden

In August 2023, Suzuki was sent on loan from the Urawa Red Diamonds to Sint-Truiden, a team in the Belgian Pro League. He served as the understudy for fellow Japanese goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt before he was named the starter.
On 1 February 2024, it was announced that Suzuki's loan with Sint-Truiden will be converted into a permanent transfer for next season on 1 July 2024.

### Parma

On 15 July 2024, Serie A club Parma announced the signing of Suzuki on a five-year contract. He became the second Japanese player to represent the club after Hidetoshi Nakata, who joined the club in the mid-2001.
On 17 August 2024, He made his league debut against Fiorentina, which ended with 1–1 draw.

## International career

Suzuki has represented Japan at multiple levels in youth football. On 19 July 2022, he earned his first cap with the Japan's national team, playing the full match against Hong Kong in the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, which his side won 6–0.
He played in Japan's opening match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, a 4–2 win against Vietnam. He also played in their following 1–2 defeat to Iraq, logging one save.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 8 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2021 | J1 League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2022 | J1 League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2023 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Total | Total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Sint-Truiden (loan) | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 0 |
| Parma | 2024–25 | Serie A | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 27 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 88 | 0 |
* ↑ Includes Emperor's Cup
* ↑ Includes J.League Cup
* ↑ Appearances in AFC Champions League

### International

    As of match played 19 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Japan | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| Japan | 2024 | 13 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 16 | 0 |

## Honours

Urawa Red Diamonds
* AFC Champions League: 2022
* Emperor's Cup: 2021
* Japanese Super Cup: 2022
Japan
* EAFF E-1 Football Championship: 2022
Individual
* Japan Pro-Footballers Association Best XI: 2023, 2024
* IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2024