Henry Heroki Mochizuki is a 23-year-old right-back who plays for Machida Zelvia in the J-League. Mochizuki began his professional career in 2024 after going through Japan’s university system. He quickly established himself as a strong player in the J-League and earned a call-up to the Japanese national team (though he did not take the field).
Mochizuki has an excellent physical profile. He is tall, listed at 6’ 2/1.92M, strong, and reasonably quick considering his size. Machida typically plays him as a right-wing-back in a 3-4-3 and pushes him very high in possession, though I don’t think he is very well suited to that role. Mochizuki does a good job of stretching the field by taking up good positions in wide areas. However, I think he is not quite dynamic enough on the ball to play as a wing-back. When attempting to beat a player 1v1, Mochizuki can pretty reliably push the ball past a player into space but this often leads to him losing the ball to the next player up. He is a little bit stiff in his movements so while he can power past a player he lacks the agility to beat players with feints and keep the ball. This means that a lot of his deliveries into the box are from out on a touchline. His deliveries are decent but he can’t get into more dangerous areas with enough consistency to be an effective playmaker from wide. Mochizuki’s size does make him potentially dangerous on set pieces. He is frequently a target of long throws for Machida and he is very good at using his size to win duels in the box or hold it up for teammates. Mochizuki is often pushed very high in possession, playing directly against opposition fullbacks. Machida likes to play lobbed passes to him where he can win flick ons against smaller players. Mochizuki’s passing is decent, he can break lines and push the ball forward fairly consistently. However, his slightly limited close control which limits him in the final 3rd also limits him in the build-up phase. Mochizuki is susceptible to being pressed because he is not fully comfortable dribbling out of danger. This leads to a lot of clearances where a more skilled player might be able to keep possession.
Defensively, Mochizuki’s physical traits are a major asset. He is dominant in just about any kind of physical battle, winning headers and tussles for the ball with relative ease. He is often defending higher up the pitch, which leaves him a little bit susceptible to being bypassed as Machida has him taking more risks to win the ball. However, I would say the success rate of his interventions is quite good considering his role in the team.
I think if Mochizuki is going to play at a higher level then it will have to be in a more defensive role where he is used selectively in attacking situations. He does not have the dynamism to play his current role for a top team in Europe. However, I think his physical profile and decent technical skill could make him a good addition for Europa League level teams outside the top 5 leagues.
Target Scouting 