The story of the forgotten Ryo Miyaichi. What happened to the Japanese footballer brought to Arsenal by Arséne Wenger?

Ryo Miyaichi was considered a huge footballing talent in 2011 and was scouted by French coach Arséne Wenger for Arsenal. The young Japanese was the next in a line of footballers who was supposed to be the successor to the stars of the time.

According to the words of the French coach, the London club was not the only one to make a bid for his services. Miyaichi’s qualities were also watched by other leading European clubs.

Ryo was on trial at Arsenal over the summer training period, during which he earned the signing of a professional contract.

Miyaichi then immediately went on loan to Feyenoord in the Netherlands, which started quite promisingly, playing the full 90 minutes during his first competitive match and even winning the player of the match award.

After a one-year loan, he returned to Arsenal, with whom he travelled to Asia for pre-season training and was even included in the roster for the Champions League matches. In September 2011, he scored his first competitive game for Arsenal when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup match.

Unfortunately, less than two months later, he suffered an injury that sidelined him for several weeks. After the Japanese footballer recovered, he headed on loan to Bolton.

A loan move to Wigan followed for the next season and then to Twente the season after that. Neither of the loan spells were of the successful category for the young footballer and during his time in the Netherlands he was even transferred to Twente’s youth team.

Upon his return to Arsenal, the club terminated his contract. Miyaichi later signed for FC St. Pauli, who play in the second highest German league.

He was plagued by frequent injuries during his six-year stint, but it is still safe to say that he spent the most successful period of his career here.

In 2021 he returned to his home country after ten years of playing in Europe. He is currently a footballer for Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, where he even won the championship in 2022.

Sources: Arsenal FC, Transfermarket