Meet Alex Pisano, the Japanese goalkeeper in EAFF E-1 Football Championship with roots in Italy

Japan started its title defence at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship against Hong Kong, at the Yongin Mireu-Stadion in South Korea on Tuesday.

Hajime Moriyasu has gone with a full domestic squad, with the tournament out of the FIFA international window. One of the names in that starting 11 against Hong Kong is Alexandre Pisano, earning his first senior cap.

Pisano, born in Kasugai to a Japanese mother and Italian-Canadian father, developed at the Ote Elementary School and FC Fervor Aichi, before moving to Nagoya Grampus in 2021.

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He signed his professional contract with Nagoya three years later and plays for the same side currently. The 19-year-old has started every J1 match since May and has kept four clean sheets.

At the international level, he has represented Japan at the U-17 and U-20 levels, playing in the U-117 World Cup 2023, where Japan reached the round of 16.

Pisano has replaced Zio Suzuki, another goalkeeper who has roots outside Japan — Suzuki’s father is from Ghana, and his mother is from Japan – but the latter is expected to get back between the sticks for FIFA’s official international fixtures.