Rihito Yamamoto

Rihito Yamamoto is a Japanese midfielder born in Kanagawa on 12 December 2001. He developed in Tokyo Verdy’s academy and made his senior debut in 2019, becoming a regular in Japan’s J2 League and making more than 100 appearances for the club. In 2022, Yamamoto joined Gamba Osaka, where he played 13 matches before moving to Belgium. He joined Sint-Truiden on loan in July 2023 and later made the move permanent in June 2024. With Sint-Truiden, he developed into a hard-working central midfielder who screens the defence, intercepts passes and keeps possession moving through accurate, controlled distribution. Yamamoto also represented Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, scoring against Paraguay and Mali. He is now listed with SC Freiburg, continuing a career that has taken him from Tokyo Verdy’s youth system to European football.