Foreign players who played in Japan

Japan’s biggest sport is baseball, but football isn’t too far behind in the popularity stakes – and numerous overseas players have headed there to play the beautiful game.

The launch of the country’s first professional league, the J.League, in 1992, sparked a steady influx of foreign talent to the Far East.

Here, we take a look at just some of the stars from around the world to ply their trade in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Former West Ham and Australia captain Lucas Neill had a short stint in Japan towards the end of his career, making nine appearances for top-flight Omiya Ardija in 2013.

The defender returned to England following that spell, featuring once for Watford and four times on loan at Doncaster Rovers before hanging up his boots.

Twice a Premier League champion with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal and one of their 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’, Swedish icon Freddie Ljungberg wound down his playing days at Japan’s Shimizu S-Pulse, arriving in September 2011.

The winger stay in the Land of the Rising Sun was a short one, and he hung up his boots the following year (only to be lured out of retirement in 2014 by Mumbai City of the newly launched Indian Super League).

One of New Zealand’s very best players of all time, striker Wynton Rufer top-scored in the 1993/94 Champions League while starring for Werder Breme – the club for whom he made most of his career appearances.

He left the Bundesliga outfit for Japan’s JEF United Ichihara in 1995 and notched 38 goals in 54 J.League games across two seasons.

Costa Rica legend and Premier League cult hero Paulo Wanchope made 16 appearances for FC Tokyo in the final year of his career, in between spells with Argentina’s Rosario Central and the Chicago Fire of MLS.

The former Derby, West Ham and Manchester City man formed a physically imposing strike partnership in the Japanese capital alongside Sota Hirayama.

Two-time Portuguese Footballer of the Year and 1987 Ballon d’Or runner-up Paulo Futre ended his playing days in the J.League.

The ex-Atletico Madrid dribbling demon played for Yokohoma Flugels in the 1998 campaign – their final season before a merger with Yokohama Marinos – with his teammates including Brazil midfielder Cesar Sampaio.

Capped 45 times by France, defender Basile Boli played largely for French clubs – winning two Ligue 1 titles and the Champions League at Marseille.

But he also turned out for Rangers and Urawa Red Diamonds, one of the most successful Japanese outfits of all time – who he joined in 1996, going on to make 44 appearances.

Younger brother of Diego, Hugo Maradona’s itinerant career saw him play for eight clubs in 10 countries.

But it was in Japan that the midfielder spent longest, turning out for PJM Futures, Avispa Fukuoka and Consadole Sapproro during the 90s – having arrived as the country was about to launch the J.League.

Uruguay, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal great Diego Forlan notched 17 goals in 42 league outings for Cerezo Osaka between 2014 and 2015.

Despite being relegated from the top flight, the J1 League, to the second tier, the J2 League, in his first season, Forlan remained at the club for another campaign before returning to his native Uruguay to join Penarol.

A classy centre-back who claimed major honours with Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona in Europe, Thomas Vermaelen signed for Vissel Kobe in 2019.

The Belgian lifted the Emperor’s Cup – Vissel’s first major trophy – in his first season in Japan, ultimately making 58 appearances in all competitions before retiring in 2021.

Having already played abroad for Barcelona, Gary Lineker swapped Tottenham for Japan in 1992, completing a £2m switch to Nagoya Grampus Eight.

The 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner officially joined Grampus Eight a few days after scoring his final goal for England and went on to net eight times across two injury-disrupted seasons.

The hosts’ hero at Italia ’90, Salvator Schillaci ended that World Cup by picking up the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

A Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup winner during his time at Juventus, Schillaci finished his career with a prolific spell for Jubilo Iwata – where he amassed 65 goals in 93 outings and won the 1997 J.League title, having become the first Italian to play in the competition.

German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski enjoyed a fruitful two-year spell at Vissel Kobe, where he was skipper for a time and won the 2019 Emperor’s Cup.

The former Bayern Munich and Arsenal star made 60 appearances for Vissel in all competitions – finding the net 17 times – in between stints in Turkish football with Galatasaray and Antalyaspor.

Bulgaria’s greatest-ever player, Hristo Stoichkov entered something of a journeyman phase following his second spell at Barcelona.

After a two-match stint with Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, the 1994 Golden Boot winner headed to Japan to join Kashiwa Royal – where he lifted the 1999 J.League Cup before going to play in MLS.

Right up there among the very best Danish footballers of all time, Michael Laudrup claimed major silverware with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, winning the 1991/92 European Cup at Barcelona.

In 1996, the national team captain opted for a change of scenery, signing for Vissel Kobe and helping them to promotion to the top flight in his first campaign.

One of the finest midfielders ever to grace the pitch and the scorer of the goal which clinched World Cup glory for Spain in 2010, Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta left the Camp Nou for Vissel Kobe in 2018.

The four-time Champions League winner enjoyed five memorable years in Japan, captaining them to Emperor’s Cup success in 2019 and picking up a 2023 J.League winner’s medal.

Considered by many to be the best player never to get their hands on the World Cup, legendary Brazilian playmaker is revered by fans of Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers.

Arriving in 1991, the ‘White Pele’ inspired his new side to the inaugural J1 League championship match in 1993 and later had a statue erected in his honour outside the club’s stadium.