Known for charisma, movement and extraordinary longevity as a forward; biggest achievements: Asian Footballer of the Year, Japan scoring exploits, trailblazing professional career.
One rank above: Shunsuke Nakamura at #5.
One rank below: Kunishige Kamamoto at #7.
Japan's editorial top five: Hidetoshi Nakata · Shinji Kagawa · Keisuke Honda · Makoto Hasebe · Shunsuke Nakamura.