Daihyo – J.League Regista

The Never-Ending Curse

Japan have lost their fifth knock-out match at the FIFA World Cup… out of five played in history. It’s time for some burning questions.

Shushō – Masami Ihara

Calm and steady, but ready to battle: the first captain for Japan at a FIFA World Cup had to be a balanced guy like Masami Ihara.

Pitch-Term Memory: Japan v. Argentina (1998)

It’s a sunny day in Toulouse, France – and it couldn’t be different: Japan are playing their first-ever match at the FIFA World Cup.

Black and Blue

Takashi Usami could have been so much more, but his career hasn’t been done with reserving him surprises.

Mr. Sakka

Yasuhito Endo was and will be the main landmark of J.League. We won’t see another one of his kind.

One-of-a-Kind

The 2019 Copa América saw Japan bringing a super-young squad to the competition. Ryosuke Kojima was there, and now he’s one of the best keepers in J1.

Lost Treasures – Yōichirō Kakitani

The first year without any J1 goal reminded us of what Yōichirō Kakitani could have been (and he hasn’t been).