Persija Jakarta have completed the signing of Ryo Matsumura from Thai League 1 giants BG Pathum United as part of their reinforcement drive for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
28-year old attacking midfielder Ryo, who spent the past couple of years out on loan at Police Tero FC and Persis Solo, was Persija’s third signing this off-season after Persebaya Surabaya’s Rizky Ridho and Gresik United’s Akbar Arjunsyah.
Ryo had spent most of his career at his native Japan, having graduated from the Vissel Kobe academy, before bouncing around clubs such as Tochigi SC, Tokushima Vortis, and Nagano Parceiro.
In 2019 Ryo had his first foray into Southeast Asian football, joining a Rayong FC side who were promoted to the Thai League 1 after finishing third in the Thai League 2.
Ryo only spent a year at Rayong, choosing to stay at the Thai League 2 by joining recently-relegated Chiangmai FC in 2020, where he made 34 appearances and scored 16 times in the 2020/21 campaign, before joining BGPU through the Glass Rabbits’ then-affiliation with the Lanna Tigers.
Despite winning the 2021 Thailand Champions Cup, Ryo did not see plenty of game time at BGPU, only making six league appearances for the Glass Rabbits. He also did not fare better in his first loan spell at Police Tero, playing only ten times and not scoring any goals at all.
However, Ryo’s fortunes turned for the better after he went out on loan to Persis in the 2022/23 campaign. He quickly became a key figure in the Laskar Sambernyawa‘s campaign, turning out 28 times, scoring 11 times, and assisting six times.
This upturn on form inevitably attracted the attention of Persija, who managed to secure Ryo’s signature once his contract with BGPU expires.
Given the number 7 shirt, Ryo expressed his excitement and delight in joining Persija.
“I’m very happy to be a part of Persija and it’s great to be able to play football in front of the Jakmania,” said Ryo, as quoted from the club website, “I will do my best to win the Liga 1 title with Persija in the coming season.”
Ryo cited that the presence of former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Doll in the Persija dugout was a huge push for him to accept a contract with the Macan Kemayoran, who finished 2nd in the recently-concluded 2022/23 season.
“Yes, of course, before last season ended, he (Thomas Doll) had called me to talk about next season with Persija,” said Ryo, “Now I can’t wait to meet him.”