Failed Wonderkids #7- Ryo Miyaichi

Biodata

Full Name: Ryo Miyaichi

Nationality: Japanese

Date of Birth: 14 December 1992

Position: Winger

Current Club: FC St. Pauli

Current Market Price: 600k Euro (Updated on Dec 2019)

Highest Market Price: 3.00mil Euro (Jun 2012)

Former Clubs:

2011- 2015 Arsenal

2011 Feyenoord (loan)

2012 Bolton Wanderers (loan)

2012- 2013 Wigan Athletic (loan)

2014- 2015 Twente (loan)

2014- 2015 Jong Twente (loan)

International Career:

2012 Japan

Achievement:

None

Career

When you signed by a big football club in your teenage years, you will be destined to get tonnes of attention from all around the world. Especially when you come from the far east, the expectation you get will be far more. However, for every Son Heung Min, there will be a Junichi Inamoto. You would not predict how well the far east players can settling in the stronger league in Europe. So how does the main character of the article done in his European career?

Ryo Miyaichi was born into a sporting family. His brother is also a football player as his father was a basketball player. This gave him a strong foundation for excelling in the sports industry. Miyaichi started playing football back in his elementary school years and entered the Chukyo High School Football Club. He represented his team advanced to the 2010 Season All Japan High School Soccer Tournament where his team was defeated in the first round. Despite this, Miyaichi still gets his chance to get his trial at Arsenal in the summer of 2010. In which he impressed Arsene Wenger to sign him permanently on January 2011.

Miyaichi was immediately loaned out to the Dutch outfit, Feyenoord to gain more playing time and European exposure. Miyaichi's debut campaign in Europe was started in a relatively high note in Eredivisie. He was the man of the match in his debut match against Vitesse Arnhem and scored in his next game against Heracles. The Dutch media gave him the nickname ‘Ryodinho’ after comparison to Ronaldinho and also been branded the Japanese Messi by the football fans. All of a sudden, Miyaichi is one of the hottest young prospects in European football. He returned to Arsenal after his loan spell at Feyenoord after he was granted a work permit with the evidence supplied by Arsene Wenger and Japan Football Association. However, his debut season in Arsenal was hampered by injuries.

In order to regain his form, Miyaichi was once again loaned out from Arsenal. This time is to Bolton Wanderers until the end of 2011-2012 season. His performance was great and voted as the February Player of the Month after his debut. He even scored in his first start against Millwall in the FA Cup. At the same period, Miyaichi received his first Japan national team call up in February 2012 and national team debut on May 2012 in a friendly against Azerbaijan. On August 2012, Arsenal confirmed that Miyaichi joined Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan. However, injuries had once again limited his playing time in the DW Stadium and most notably missed the historic moment that Wigan lifted the 2013 FA Cup. He returned to the Emirates Stadium early due to injury and spent one unfruitful season with Arsenal.

As a bit part player in the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal decided to loan him out once more. This time Miyaichi was sent on a season-long loan to FC Twente in the 2014-2015 season despite the interest from the former club Feyenoord. He played in both senior and U-21 side for Twente in that season. Which he scored thrice and assisted once in all competition, both are in the Twente U-21 side. Once his loan spell was finished at the end of the season, his career in Arsenal was finished too as the club did not have the intention to renew his contract. Miyaichi was released with his unfulfilled potential in England.

On June 2015, Miyaichi was announced to sign a three-year contract in the 2.Bundesliga side St. Pauli, in which he still remained until the time of writing. Miyaichi is still yet to fulfil is early promises as a future bright star that carries football from the far east despite he is enjoying several decent seasons in Germany.

Verdict

Disappointment Rate: 7.5/10. Never fulfil his early promises but showed a glimpse of hope whenever he played for a football club. However, there is still time for him to show his talent in the higher stage of football than in 2.Bundesliga and aim for the national team call up once more since 2012.