Rikihiro Sugiyama

1.1. Early Life and Education

Born in Shizuoka City, Rikihiro Sugiyama was given his name by combining one character from each of his parents' names. When he was three years old, his father passed away, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. During his elementary school years, he played for the Asaoka Soccer Sports Boy's Team. He greatly admired Sidmar António Martins, a goalkeeper for local club Shimizu S-Pulse, even putting up his poster at home and attempting to emulate his hairstyle. After playing for Q's Football Club, he enrolled in Shizuoka Gakuen High School in 2003, where he continued to hone his football skills and served as captain during his third year.

1.2. Youth Club Career

Sugiyama's youth football career began with his participation in the Asaoka Soccer Sports Boy's Team. He later advanced to play for Q's Football Club. His talent further developed during his time at Shizuoka Gakuen High School from 2003 to 2005, where he not only played a pivotal role but also captained the team in his final year. These experiences provided him with the necessary groundwork for his eventual professional career.

• 1999: Asaoka Soccer Sports Boy's Team
• 2000-2002: Q's Football Club
• 2003-2005: Shizuoka Gakuen High School

2.1. Kawasaki Frontale

Sugiyama joined Kawasaki Frontale in 2006, where he spent his initial years as a reserve player. His official debut came on September 3, 2009, in a J.League Cup semifinal match against Yokohama F. Marinos. This opportunity arose due to the absence of the regular goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, who was on duty with the Japanese national team. Although he debuted, it was several years before he made his league debut. On November 14, 2010, he made his first league appearance in a match against Kashima Antlers, coming on as a substitute after Takashi Aizawa suffered an injury. However, his debut was bittersweet as he conceded a goal shortly after entering the game, leading to a loss.

In 2011, Sugiyama earned his first opening day start. Unfortunately, his season was interrupted when he sustained a right middle finger fracture during an April 29 match against Nagoya Grampus, sidelining him for eight weeks. During his recovery, Aizawa regained the starting position. After a period of team struggles, including an eight-game losing streak in the summer, Sugiyama returned to the starting lineup and held the position, playing a personal best of 13 matches that season. Following Aizawa's departure in 2012, Sugiyama's jersey number was changed to 1. However, he again lost the starting spot to newly acquired veteran Yohei Nishibe and later suffered a left hamstring strain during practice, marking his second consecutive year of injury-related absence. In both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he was unable to fully reclaim the starting position from Nishibe.

2.2. Shimizu S-Pulse

For the 2015 season, Sugiyama made a full transfer to Shimizu S-Pulse. While he initially began the season as a reserve to Masatoshi Kushibiki in the opening match, he eventually won the starting competition, featuring in all but one match during the second stage of the season. This period marked a career-high for him with 24 appearances. In 2016, Shimizu S-Pulse was relegated to the J2 League, but Sugiyama remained with the club and started in 20 matches. Despite this, he lost his regular goalkeeper position to Yuki Uekusa after August and his only subsequent appearance was as a second-half substitute in a match against Kyoto Sanga FC on November 3.

2.3. Avispa Fukuoka

In the 2017 season, Rikihiro Sugiyama completed a full transfer to Avispa Fukuoka. Despite suffering an injury on June 3 against Kamatamare Sanuki, which kept him out of play for approximately two months, he played a crucial role as a primary goalkeeper, making 32 appearances, including two matches in the J1 promotion play-offs. However, in 2018, his playing opportunities diminished due to the emergence of Kenshiro Tani, who joined on loan from Cerezo Osaka, limiting Sugiyama to 16 league appearances. By 2019, Juan Manuel Serrantes, a new signing, completely took over the starting goalkeeper position, resulting in Sugiyama's sole appearance being in the final J2 League match on November 24.

His contract with Fukuoka was extended for 2020, but competition intensified with the continued presence of Serrantes and the arrival of Masahiro Murakami from Renofa Yamaguchi FC. The competition made it difficult for Sugiyama to even secure a spot on the bench. He made a rare start on August 15 against Matsumoto Yamaga FC, his first in nine months, but only managed two total appearances that season (one start and one substitute appearance). In the 2021 season, with Serrantes' departure, Murakami solidified his position as the primary goalkeeper. The addition of young goalkeeper Takumi Nagai from Cerezo Osaka further limited Sugiyama's opportunities, keeping him largely off the bench throughout the season.

5.1. Club Performance

5.2. International Club Performance