Rion Ichihara

Rion Ichihara
市原 吏音
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-07-07) 7 July 2005
Place of birth Saitama, Japan
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 AZ Alkmaar
Number 18
Youth career
–2023 RB Omiya Ardija
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2025 RB Omiya Ardija 77 (5)
2026– AZ Alkmaar 3 (0)
2026– Jong AZ 7 (0)
International career‡
2023 Japan U18 2 (0)
2023–2024 Japan U19 4 (0)
2024–2025 Japan U20 16 (3)
2025 Japan U22 1 (0)
2025– Japan U23 5 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 January 2026

Rion Ichihara (市原 吏音, Ichihara Rion; born 7 July 2005) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar.

Early life

Ichihara was born in Saitama, Japan.[1]

Club career

As a youth player, Ichihara joined the youth academy of Japanese side RB Omiya Ardija and was promoted to the club's senior team in 2023, where he made seventy-eight league appearances and scored five goals and helped them achieve promotion from the third tier to the second tier.[1] Following his stint there, he signed for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in 2026.[2]

International career

Ichihara is a Japan youth international. During January 2026, he played for the Japan national under-23 football team at the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.[1]

Style of play

Ichihara plays as a defender. Japanese magazine Soccer Hihyo wrote in 2026 that he "is a center back who combines height of 187cm with strength and skill with his feet, and leads the defensive line with exceptional leadership".[3]

Career statistics

As of match played 15 August 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
RB Omiya Ardija 2023 J2 League 17010——180
2024 J3 League 31410——324
2025 J2 League 29100—1[a]0301
Total 77520—10805
AZ 2025–26 Eredivisie 20001[b]0—30
2026–27 Eredivisie 100000—10
Total 300010—40
Jong AZ 2025–26 Eerste Divisie 60———60
2026–27 Eerste Divisie 10———10
Total 70———70
Career total 875201010915
  1. ↑ Appearance in promotion play-offs
  2. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Conference League

Honours

RB Omiya Ardija

AZ

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 "一部周囲の見方に「それは全く違う」..."ロス世代"主将の大宮DF市原吏音がAZに完全移籍! 長文で想いを綴る" [Responding to some of the surrounding opinions with "That's completely wrong," Omiya defender Rion Ichihara, captain of the "Lost Generation," makes a permanent transfer to AZ! He expresses his thoughts in a lengthy message] (in Japanese). Gekisaka. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  2. ↑ Rion Ichihara at WorldFootball.net
  3. ↑ "｢こ、このシルエットは...！｣オランダ1部AZがU-23日本代表20歳主将の獲得を"匂わせ"演出！｢このフォルムは彼しかいない｣｢しかもめっちゃ期待されてる」" ["Th-this silhouette...! " Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar hints at the acquisition of the 20-year-old captain of the Japan U-23 national team with a suggestive presentation! "This form can only be him," "And he's clearly highly anticipated"] (in Japanese). Soccer Hihyo. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "Standings". jleague.co. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Parrott, Koopmeiners shine as AZ Alkmaar wins KNVB Cup after 13 years". Sport Star. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "AZ rout 10-man PSV 4-0 to lift second Johan Cruyff Shield". NL Times. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "２０２５Ｊ２リーグアウォーズ：Ｊリーグ.jp". Ｊリーグ.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ｊ３受賞選手：明治安田Ｊ３リーグアウォーズ：Ｊリーグ.jp". Ｊリーグ.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.