The Japanese international from Eintracht Frankfurt has been one of the strongest offensive players in the Bundesliga for years. The next step for Kamada is probably a move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
Where does the already successful career of Eintracht Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada lead to?
It was a thankless game for Daichi Kamada. In Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig on the 22nd match day of the Bundesliga, the Japanese had little opportunity to put himself in the limelight – the RB defense was too good. Nevertheless, Kamada worked a lot, always offered himself in the dangerous zone and got numerous balls deep in his own midfield. He often even went back to his own penalty area to support the defense, ran at Leipzig opponents to win the ball and didn't shy away from header duels. In terms of commitment and willingness to run, Kamada was one of the most active Frankfurters, but overall they were losing. After all, the 1:2 Eintracht goal by Djibril Sow initiated Kamada with a soulful pass on the wing.
In view of his current performance, it is hard to believe that Frankfurt's former coach Adi Hütter once removed the Japanese from the squad and “punished” him to a separate training group. Kamada, who has been under contract with the Europa League winners since 2017, was even awarded back then, in August 2018. For one season he played for the club VV St. Truiden in the Belgian league – and showed there the performances that he now regularly calls up at the Frankfurters. Kamada was even so good in Belgium that he was allowed to play for the Japanese national team for the first time in March 2019 and has been a permanent fixture ever since.
Offensive class, lack of body language
After his return to Frankfurt, Hütter also realized that he could no longer get past Kamada. He now relied on the Japanese, who soon became a constant in the game of concord and a kind of offensive “all-purpose weapon”. “Daichi is a creative player who can make the difference with his genius,” said Hütter Kamada once, after a game in which Frankfurt's number 15 once again made the difference. Overall, the Japanese has been on the pitch in 163 competitive games for Eintracht. He scored 37 goals and provided 31 assists.
Against Leipzig, Daichi Kamada is one of the most active Frankfurters – even if he doesn't score a point
Nevertheless, there was often criticism – especially from the side of the enthusiastic Eintracht fans. They didn't like the Japanese's body language. He often seemed uninvolved, lethargic and unwilling to throw himself into the duels with full commitment. “From a soccer point of view, I won't be loved by the fans that much,” Kamada said in an interview with Hessischer Rundfunk in December 2021. “I know that my style of play is seen rather critically in the Frankfurt fan environment.” That is not insignificant, but what the coach and teammates say is more important. “As long as they're happy with me, I'm happy too,” said Kamada.
Mister Europa League
In the Europa League in particular, teammates and coaches rarely had a reason to complain about Kamada. Often he was the decisive man of unity. Kamada scored six goals in the 2019/2020 Europa League season before losing to FC Basel in the round of 16. When Frankfurt won the competition in 2022 and thus qualified for the Champions League for the first time, he scored five times in the opponent's goal. He was one of the successful scorers in the final victory over Glasgow Rangers on penalties.
Greatest success so far: In 2022 Daichi Kamada wins the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt
Kamada's good performances did not go unnoticed. In 2019, FC Genoa showed great interest in the Japanese, but a veto by Hütter prevented his transfer to the Italian Serie A. Last summer, Kamada agreed on a change with Portugal's record champions Benfica. But again it was the coach who didn't agree: Hütter's successor, Oliver Glasner, would rather keep his versatile offensive player than fill the club's account with a transfer fee that would probably have been around 20 million euros . So Kamada ended up staying with Eintracht, but he didn't extend his contract, which only runs until the end of the season.
Borussia Dortmund as the next step?
Apparently the Japanese has outgrown Eintracht and is ready for a new task. The club is on the verge of qualifying again for the European Cup. Despite the defeat in Leipzig, even the top four in the Bundesliga are still within reach and thus the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League directly via place in the table for the first time. Frankfurt is also still in the DFB Cup.
Nevertheless, Kamada is apparently aiming for a transfer to Borussia Dortmund. A change that could probably be booked under “taking the next step”. According to the “Bild” newspaper, BVB is said to have already agreed on a five-year contract with Kamada. With an annual salary of five to six million euros and an alleged bonus of twelve million, BVB put together a total package of around 40 million euros – a sum that Eintracht – despite all willingness to keep the player – cannot keep up with.
Borussia have had good experiences in the past with the signing of an attacking midfielder from Japan. From 2010 to 2012 and – after returning from a two-year stint at Manchester United – from 2014 to 2019, Shinji Kagawa wore the BVB jersey. Kagawa made 216 appearances for Dortmund. He scored 60 goals for the black and yellow and put 55 goals on his teammates. Big shoes for Daichi Kamada – but he's already proven he can fill them at Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Hasan Salihamidzic – 321 games
“Brazzo”, the “little boy”, played his first games in the Bundesliga from 1995 for HSV. During the Bosnian War, his parents sent the then 15-year-old to relatives in Hamburg in 1992. In 1998 he moved to Bayern, later to Juventus, before ending his active career in Wolfsburg in 2012. But Salihamidzic is still in the Bundesliga today – as a sports director at FC Bayern.
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Foreign record players in the Bundesliga
Dede – 322 games
Hardly any other player is as popular with Dortmund fans as the Brazilian with number 17. From 1998 to 2011 he worked on the left flank and became German champion with BVB, his only club in Germany, in 2002 and 2011. He is playing one international match for Brazil. There Leonardo de Deus Santos is called “the German” because of his penchant for punctuality.
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Ole Björnmose – 323 games
The Danish striker came to the Bundesliga from Odense in 1966 and stayed for eleven years. After five seasons at Werder Bremen, he moved to HSV in 1971, with whom he won the DFB Cup in 1976 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1977. After returning to Denmark, Björnmose works as an electrician. Until 2008 – two years after his death – he remains the foreigner with the most Bundesliga games.
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Foreign Bundesliga record players
Sergei Barbarez – 330 Games
Between 1996 and 2008 the Bosnian played for a total of four Bundesliga teams. After stints in Rostock and Dortmund, Barbarez switched to Hamburger SV in 2000, where he quickly became a fan favourite. In 2001 he secured the top scorer cannon with 22 goals. When his contract in Hamburg was not extended in 2006, he went to Leverkusen, where he ended his career in 2008.
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Rafinha – 332 games
The Brazilian (r.) attracted the attention of European clubs at the U20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005 and switched to FC Schalke in the same year. When coach Felix Magath sorted him out five years later, the full-back went to Italy and returned to the Bundesliga a year later. With FC Bayern, he won the championship seven times, won the cup four times and won the Champions League in 2013.
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Foreign Bundesliga record players
Lukasz Piszczek – 332 Games
For years he has been the perennial favorite on the right-back side of Borussia Dortmund. Lukasz Piszczek will play for BVB from 2010 to 2021. The Pole will play his first 68 Bundesliga games in the Hertha BSC jersey. With the Berliners, he was relegated to the second division before moving to Dortmund. With Dortmund, Piszczek wins the championship twice and the DFB Cup three times.
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Ze Roberto – 336 games
In 1998, Ze Roberto, who had previously worked for Real Madrid, switched to Bayer Leverkusen from Flamengo Rio de Janeiro. In 2002 he took the next step towards FC Bayern, with whom he won a number of titles. In 2009 – at that time already 35 years old – he received a two-year contract with HSV. In 2011 Ze Roberto left Germany, but remained a professional soccer player until the end of his career at the age of almost 43.
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Record foreign player in the Bundesliga
Vedad Ibisevic – 344 games
The Bosnian took his first steps in the Bundesliga in 2006 in the jersey of Alemannia Aachen. The striker later went on the hunt for goals for Hoffenheim, Stuttgart and Hertha BSC. He scored 127 Bundesliga goals in total. His last engagement at Schalke ended ingloriously in November 2020: After a dispute with Schalke's assistant coach Naldo, Ibisevic was released and his contract was terminated.
Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Levan Kobiashvili – 351 games
At the end of the 1990s, Kobiashvili (r.) and other Georgian professionals whose names also end in “-vili” form the group of “Willis” in Freiburg, who celebrate success under coach Volker Finke. Kobiashvili later plays for Schalke and Hertha. Infamous: He is the Bundesliga professional against whom the longest penalty was imposed in 2012: seven and a half months for hitting the referee.
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Halil Altintop – 351 games
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Record foreign players in the Bundesliga
Naldo – 358 games
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Foreign record players in the Bundesliga
Makoto Hasebe – 366 games*
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Foreign record players of Bundesliga
Daniel Caligiuri – 371 games*
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Foreign record players of the Bundesliga
Robert Lewandowski – 384 games
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Foreign Bundesliga record player
Claudio Pizarro – 490 Matches
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