Freiburg signs Japan midfielder Rihito Yamamoto

Freiburg has signed Japanese midfielder Rihito Yamamoto from Belgian top-flight side Sint-Truiden, making him its second summer recruit as the Bundesliga club continues to reshape its squad, the club announced on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old follows goalkeeper Mio Backhaus to Freiburg, with the club giving no details on the length or financial terms of Yamamoto's contract.

Yamamoto joins after an impressive season in Belgium, where he started 29 of Sint-Truiden's 30 regular-season league matches, scoring five goals and setting up five more. He added nine appearances and one assist in the championship round, which Sint-Truiden finished third.

Yamamoto began his professional career with Tokyo Verdy in Japan's second tier before moving to Gamba Osaka in the J League in 2022. He joined Sint-Truiden ahead of the 2023-24 season and went on to make 98 appearances for the Belgian club.

He has also represented Japan from U-15 to U-23 level. At Freiburg, Yamamoto will reunite with compatriot Yuito Suzuki, with whom he played 18 youth internationals between 2019 and 2023.