Japanese Striker joins former European Champions

Japan and Kashima Antlers striker Takayuki Suzuki has joined former European Champion Red Star Belgrade on a two-year contract. He becomes the first Japanese member of the club in the Serbia and Montenegro league.

Suzuki, 29, has been capped 55 times by his country and scored 11 goals. He has had loan spells at Brazilian club CFZ in 1997, and Belgian sides Genk and Heusden-Zolder after the last World Cup finals in 2002.

Red Star president Dragan Stojkovic said about Suzuki, “I know Suzuki well. He is a universal player, he can play behind two strikers and he is also good in the defence and very fast in changing positions.” Stojkovic himself played in the J-League for Nagoya Grampus Eight before returning home to become president of Red Star Belgrade.

Red Star, the Serbia and Montenegro league leaders, became the European champion is 1991 and won the Toyota Cup that same year.