Rihito Yamamoto made his first professional appearances for his youth club Tokyo Verdy in the Japanese second tier before moving to Gamba Osaka in the J League in 2022. The 24-year-old joined Belgian top-flight side Sint-Truiden ahead of the 2023/24 season. He made 98 competitive appearances for the Belgian club and scored five goals in the current Jupiler Pro League campaign. Rihito Yamamoto also represented Japan at every age-group level from U15s to U23s.

“Rihito made excellent progress last season. He’s a versatile midfielder,” said sporting director Klemens Hartenbach. “One of his biggest strengths is definitely how many different qualities he brings. He can make a real impact both with and without the ball. The next step now is for him to adapt and keep developing the finer details of his game – and we’re looking forward to helping him do that!”

Rihito Yamamoto commented: “Playing in the Bundesliga has always been a big goal of mine and of course I spoke to Yuito about Freiburg – I only heard good things. As a midfielder, I want to have an impact on the game and develop together with the team. I’m really looking forward to playing here.”

Both parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the contract.

Photo: SC Freiburg