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The story
Aston Villa’s Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki became a hot topic after his roughly 40-meter long throw in the September 9 UEFA Champions League clash with Club Brugge (won 3-2). Not only did he record 5 saves in his CL debut — the first ever by a Japanese goalkeeper — showing a strong presence at both ends of the pitch, but the throw itself, launched with no run-up, drew comparisons to Peter Schmeichel. On the thread, the conversation expanded from the throw’s distance into comparisons with pro baseball players and Shohei Ohtani’s speed, and even a survey on the popularity of baseball versus soccer in the US.
[UEFA Champions League] Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa (September 9 JST / Jan Breydel Stadium)
Aston Villa’s Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki unleashed a stunning 40-meter long throw that has also sparked a huge reaction among fans overseas.
On September 9 JST, Suzuki started in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League (CL) league phase against Club Brugge. Making his CL debut as the first-ever Japanese goalkeeper to do so, he conceded 2 goals but recorded 5 saves, showing a strong presence at both ends of the pitch and playing a big part in the team’s 3-2 win.
Source: times.abema.tv / Original article here
What people said
Kawaguchi had a presence you couldn't capture in stats.
One of a kind.
It's not one-handed though, right?
If it's not one-handed, how else would you throw it…
Nice one, Commissioner Murofushi (Koji Murofushi, Olympic hammer-throw medalist and former head of Japan's Sports Agency).
Great with his left foot too.
It's like Xabi Alonso is playing goalkeeper.
Probably because he learned from Nishikawa at Urawa Reds.
He wasn't especially known for his kicking before that.
Just for distance, he can throw a soccer ball 60 meters.
The average Japanese handball throw is 25 meters, so you can see how absurd that number is.
There's a difference between a throw and a pitch.
Too far out in the countryside, there's no one to play with.
The World Cup really is something — it makes players grow.
I played on a school team up until 25 years ago.
Not like idiotic 'baseball' (yakyu, a mocking spelling used to deride the sport) where you get 10 points just for exit velocity.
Tough crowd, huh.
One world-class player alone isn't enough against Brazil.
Shohei Ohtani is slower than Maya Yoshida (Japan national soccer team defender), but in baseball he's considered fast, right?
Come on, quit it lol
Ohtani is actually slow. Stolen bases depend on your jump timing since the distance is short, so plenty of slow guys still steal a lot of bases. Though his steal count last year was a bit absurd.
If Zion or Rui Hachimura (NBA player) had played baseball, going two-way pro would've been a breeze.
Such a waste, seriously.
According to a survey published by Ipsos in 2026, the percentage of the total sample who answered YES to 'Have you watched a full game of this sport in the past year?':
NFL: 55%
College football: 37%
MLB: 36%
NBA: 29%
NHL: 21%
WNBA: 18%
International soccer: 12%
US soccer (including MLS): 12%
They say watching a full baseball game means your brain's rotted.
More boring than waiting in a checkout line.
Brain rot.
Poor guy, getting roasted by his own fellow Americans.
That level of physicality is a dime a dozen in America.
Guys with Ohtani's physicality are all over the place in America.
Well, apparently Americans these days don't play baseball at all anymore.
Ohtani's that slow, yet apparently he's near the top in sprint times in MLB.
Makes you wonder just how slow baseball players' legs really are.
Pitcher, batter, baseball, goalkeeper —
he could easily be a four-way player.
Background and talking points
Zion Suzuki is a product of Urawa Reds’ youth system and currently plays goalkeeper for Aston Villa. His given name, ‘彩艶,’ is read ‘Zion’ — a coincidence that happens to match the name of NBA player Zion Williamson, something the thread brought up repeatedly. The long throw is one of the modern ways goalkeepers get involved in attack, valued for delivering the ball forward quickly in addition to kicking ability. Figures like ’60 meters’ came up in the thread, but readers should note that’s fan exaggeration based on impression rather than an officially measured record. The latter half of the discussion also drifted a lot into baseball comparisons and US sports-popularity surveys — tangents separate from the main topic of evaluating Suzuki himself.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geisports Sokuhou+) thread ‘”Unbelievable” — Zion Suzuki’s “40m Bullet Throw” Stuns the World! “He’s launching it with no run-up,” “Just like Schmeichel” — Overseas Fans Amazed,’ available here.
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