33·Legends

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Japan

The thirty-three greatest. Build your eleven, then settle the duels.

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The 33 of Japan

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1 HN 89 Hidetoshi Nakata 77 caps · 11 goals · Shonan Bellmare, A.C. Perugia CalcioPerugia trailed Juventus 3-0 at half-time of his Serie A debut on 13 September 1998, and he answered with two goals past Peruzzi in seven minutes before the champions held on to win 4-3. He won the Serie A title with Roma in 2001 and the Coppa Italia with Parma the following year, was Asian Footballer of the Year in 1997 and 1998, and played 77 times for Japan across the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. CM1997–2006

88 Shinji Kagawa 97 caps · 31 goals · Cerezo Osaka, Borussia DortmundRooney set up all three on 2 March 2013 and he finished each one without fuss, a 4-0 win over Norwich that made him the first Asian player to score a Premier League hat-trick. Two Bundesliga titles at Dortmund in 2011 and 2012 came with the 2012 German cup, followed by the 2012-13 Premier League with Manchester United, the 2011 Asian Cup with Japan, and a second DFB-Pokal back in Dortmund in 2017. CAM2011–17

87 Keisuke Honda 98 caps · 38 goals · Nagoya Grampus, PFC CSKA MoscowJapan needed only a draw against Denmark in Rustenburg on 24 June 2010, and Honda opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a knuckling free kick that dipped away from Thomas Sorensen. The 2011 Asian Cup made him its most valuable player, and he went on to become the first Japanese player to score at three World Cups, winning a Russian league title and two Russian Cups with CSKA Moscow and the 2016 Supercoppa Italiana at Milan. RM2010–16

87 Makoto Hasebe Urawa Red Diamonds, VfL WolfsburgFrankfurt trusted him with the armband deep into his thirties, and on 6 June 2020 he went past Cha Bum-kun as the Asian player with the most Bundesliga appearances, finishing his career on 380. He captained Japan to the 2011 Asian Cup and through three World Cups, won the 2022 Europa League and 2018 DFB-Pokal at Frankfurt, the 2009 Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, and the 2007 AFC Champions League with Urawa. CDM2007–22

87 Shunsuke Nakamura 98 caps · 24 goals · Yokohama F. Marinos, AS Reggina 1914Celtic Park, 21 November 2006: Nakamura bent a free kick from 30 yards past Edwin van der Sar late on, and the 1-0 win over Manchester United sent Celtic into the knockout rounds for the first time. He was Asian Cup champion with Japan in 2000 and 2004, best player of the 2004 tournament, and won three Scottish titles, a Scottish Cup, two League Cups and Scotland's 2007 player of the year award at Celtic. CAM2000–07

86 Kaoru Mitoma University of Tsukuba Football Club, Kawasaki FrontaleWith the ball apparently gone over the byline in Doha on 2 December 2022, Mitoma stretched and hooked it back a fraction inside, and Ao Tanaka turned in the goal that beat Spain 2-1. He won the J1 League and Emperor's Cup double with Kawasaki Frontale in 2020, was Japanese footballer of the year in 2021, and his solo goal against Chelsea was voted the Premier League's goal of the season in 2024-25. LM2018–26

7 KM 86 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 caps · 55 goals · Tokyo Verdy, Vissel KobeOn 26 July 2026, aged 59, Kazu scored in the 52nd minute of Fukushima United's 7-0 Emperor's Cup win over Iwaki Furukawa, his first competitive goal in almost four years. He won the 1992 Asian Cup on home soil as the tournament's best player, was Asian Footballer of the Year in 1993, took the first J.League MVP award that year with Verdy Kawasaki, and is into a 42nd season across Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. ST1992–2026

8 KK 86 Kunishige Kamamoto 61 caps · 55 goals · Cerezo Osaka · Hall of Fame 2014Two first-half goals at the Azteca on 23 October 1968 beat hosts Mexico 2-0 for the Olympic bronze, and they took Kamamoto to seven for the tournament, the top scorer at the Games. That 1968 bronze was Asia's first football medal, and it sits with 75 goals in 76 internationals, still the Japan record, four Japan Soccer League titles and three Emperor's Cups at Yanmar Diesel, seven league scoring crowns and seven Japanese footballer of the year awards. SS1960s

9 TT 86 Takehiro Tomiyasu 23 caps · Avispa Fukuoka, Bologna F.C. 1909Hajime Moriyasu sent him on at half-time on 23 November 2022, Japan a goal down to Germany, rebuilt the back line as a five around him, and won 2-1 on the day of Tomiyasu's World Cup debut. Runner-up with Japan at the 2019 Asian Cup, he won the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship with a back line that conceded nothing in six matches and took the 2023 Community Shield during four years at Arsenal. CB2016–23

86 Yasuhito Endo 152 caps · Kyoto Sanga, Gamba OsakaNo one has played more J.League football than Endo's 672 matches, and on 2 August 2019 he came off the bench for Gamba Osaka against Vissel Kobe to reach 1,000 official appearances. Two Asian Cups came with Japan, in 2004 and 2011, and his 152 caps remain the national record; Gamba Osaka brought the 2008 AFC Champions League and its best player award, two J1 titles and four Emperor's Cups, plus Asian Footballer of the Year in 2009. CDM2004–19

86 Yuto Nagatomo 145 caps · FC Tokyo, Inter MilanAt 39 years and 286 days he came off the bench at the 2026 World Cup, Japan's oldest player at a finals and the first Asian to appear at five of them. He won the 2011 Asian Cup, appearing in every game of Japan's run to the final against Australia, took two Turkish league titles and a cup at Galatasaray and the 2011 Coppa Italia at Inter, and sits second on Japan's cap list with 146. LB2011–26

85 Atsuto Uchida Kashima Antlers, Schalke 04On 26 April 2011 he took the field at Old Trafford, the first Japanese player to appear in a Champions League semi-final, three weeks after starting the 5-2 win at San Siro. Schalke lifted the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup that season, Japan won the 2011 Asian Cup with him at right-back, and Kashima Antlers had already given him three consecutive J1 League titles from 2007 to 2009. RB2007–11

85 Maya Yoshida 126 caps · Nagoya Grampus, VVV-VenloAt Hampden Park on 26 July 2012, Yoshida captained Japan's Olympic team as its overage defender and kept Spain out in a 1-0 win, the opening result of a run to fourth place in London. He won the 2011 Asian Cup, playing all 120 minutes of the final against Australia, wore the armband at the 2022 World Cup, lifted MLS Cup with LA Galaxy in 2024, and finished on 126 caps. CB2011–24

85 Shinji Okazaki 119 caps · 50 goals · Shimizu S-Pulse, 1. FSV Mainz 05The bicycle kick that beat Newcastle on 14 March 2016 came from a Vardy header across goal, and it put Leicester five points clear with eight games left. Okazaki finished that season a Premier League champion, added the 2011 Asian Cup with Japan, and retired third on his country's scoring list with 50 goals. LM2011–16

15 TK 85 Takefusa Kubo 48 caps · 7 goals · FC Tokyo, RCD MallorcaTwenty-four minutes into his Real Sociedad debut at Cádiz, Kubo ran onto a Mikel Merino pass and scored the only goal of the match, aged 21 years and 71 days on 14 August 2022. He started Japan's wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup, won the Copa del Rey in April 2026, and was named the club's player of the season in 2022-23 and La Liga's player of the month in September 2023. RM2022–26

16 SO 84 Shinji Ono 56 caps · 6 goals · Urawa Red Diamonds, Feyenoord RotterdamFeyenoord's own stadium hosted the 2002 UEFA Cup final, and Ono started it in central midfield: the 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund on 8 May made him the first Japanese footballer to lift a European trophy. He won the 2000 Asian Cup with Japan, played three World Cups across 56 caps, was AFC Player of the Year in 2002, and added the 2007 AFC Champions League and the 2006 J1 League and Emperor's Cup with Urawa. CM2000–07

84 Takumi Minamino 73 caps · 26 goals · Cerezo Osaka, FC Red Bull SalzburgAt Anfield on 2 October 2019 he scored in Salzburg's 4-3 defeat and gave Liverpool's defence a torrid night; three months later they bought him. A Premier League winner in 2019-20, he was part of Liverpool's 2022 League Cup and FA Cup double, won four Austrian Cups and the Bundesliga with Salzburg, reached the 2019 Asian Cup final with Japan, and has scored 26 goals in 73 caps. SS2019–22

84 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 116 caps · Yokohama F. Marinos, Júbilo IwataChongqing, 31 July 2004: Japan's first two takers had missed against Jordan when the shootout was switched to the other goal, and Kawaguchi then saved two Jordanian penalties to win it 4-3. He won the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004, went to four World Cups between 1998 and 2010, reached the 2001 Confederations Cup final, saved Darijo Srna's penalty against Croatia in 2006 and finished with 116 caps. GK1998–2010

84 Yuji Nakazawa 110 caps · América Futebol Clube, Tokyo VerdyBahrain led 3-2 in the Jinan semi-final on 3 August 2004 when Nakazawa, the centre-back Japan called Bomber, flung himself at a loose ball and headed the equaliser in the 90th minute. Japan won that Asian Cup and the 2000 edition before it, and at Yokohama F. Marinos he took back-to-back J1 titles in 2003 and 2004, the 2004 J.League MVP award, six Best Eleven selections and the 2013 Emperor's Cup, finishing with 110 caps and 17 goals. CB2000–13

83 Junichi Inamoto 83 caps · 5 goals · Gamba Osaka, Eintracht FrankfurtYokohama, 9 June 2002: his goal beat Russia 1-0 and gave Japan the first World Cup win in their history, five days after he had scored against Belgium in Saitama. He won the 2000 Asian Cup, finished runner-up at the 2001 Confederations Cup, lifted the 2002 Intertoto Cup with Fulham after four goals across the two-legged final against Bologna, and retired with 82 caps and five goals. CM2000–02

21 MT 83 Marcus Tulio Tanaka 43 caps · Mito HollyHock, Urawa Red DiamondsJapan played four matches at the 2010 World Cup and he was on the pitch for all 390 minutes, part of a back line that conceded twice before Paraguay knocked them out on penalties. Urawa's 2007 AFC Champions League and 2006 J1 title are his, along with a second J1 crown at Nagoya in 2010, two Emperor's Cups, the 2006 J.League MVP award, Japanese Footballer of the Year the same season, and nine straight Best Eleven selections. CB2006–10

22 MI 83 Masami Ihara 122 caps · Yokohama F. Marinos, Júbilo IwataThey called him Mister Marinos at Yokohama, where he played 267 league games, and his 122 caps were Japan's record for thirteen years until Yasuhito Endo passed the mark in October 2012. He captained the side that won the 1992 Asian Cup at home, Japan's first continental title, led them out at their first World Cup in 1998, was voted Asian Footballer of the Year in 1995, and won the J.League with Yokohama that same season. CB1992–2012

23 SN 83 Seigo Narazaki 77 caps · Yokohama Flügels, Nagoya GrampusIn 2010 he became the first goalkeeper ever voted J.League MVP, the season he carried Nagoya Grampus to the club's first championship. He won the 2004 Asian Cup with Japan, reached the 2001 Confederations Cup final, added Emperor's Cups in 1998 and 1999 and the 2011 Super Cup, made six J.League Best Elevens, won 77 caps, and was one of two Japanese named in four straight World Cup squads. GK1998–2011

83 Takashi Inui 36 caps · 6 goals · Eintracht Frankfurt, SD EibarAt Camp Nou on 21 May 2017 he put Eibar ahead in the seventh minute and volleyed a second just past the hour, the first Japanese player to score against Barcelona in La Liga. He was a runner-up at the 2019 Asian Cup, scored against Senegal and then Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, collected 36 caps and six goals for Japan, and lifted the J2 title with Shimizu S-Pulse in 2024. LM2017–24

25 NT 82 Naohiro Takahara 57 caps · 23 goals · Júbilo Iwata, Hamburger SVOn 3 December 2006 he took three off Alemannia Aachen at the Tivoli, the first Bundesliga hat-trick by a Japanese player, four years after a clot in his lung cost him a home World Cup. He won the 2000 Asian Cup and its team of the tournament, shared the scoring lead at the 2007 edition, and took the 2002 J.League title, MVP and Golden Boot with 26 goals for Jubilo Iwata, ending on 23 goals in 57 caps. ST2000–07

26 RR 82 Rui Ramos On 28 October 1993 in Doha he played the match where Japan stood two minutes from a first World Cup and Iraq's injury-time header took it away. A Brazilian who became a Japanese citizen in 1989, he won the 1992 Asian Cup, five Japan Soccer League titles and the first two J.League championships in 1993 and 1994, was Japanese Footballer of the Year in 1990 and 1991, and made 32 appearances for the country he chose. CAM1989–94

82 Yuya Osako 57 caps · 25 goals · Kashima Antlers, 1. FC KölnHis header in the 73rd minute against Colombia on 19 June 2018 gave Japan a 2-1 win, the first time an Asian team had beaten South American opposition at a World Cup. Four goals at the 2019 Asian Cup took him into the Team of the Tournament and Japan to the final, and he won J1 titles with Kashima in 2009 and Vissel Kobe in 2023 and 2024, plus Japanese Footballer of the Year in 2018 and 2023. ST2009–24

28 AY 81 Atsushi Yanagisawa 58 caps · 17 goals · Kashima Antlers, Kyoto SangaHe was the centre-forward in the Kashima side that took the J.League, Emperor's Cup and League Cup in 2000, the first treble any Japanese club managed, and the country voted him its footballer of the year in 2001. League titles with Kashima followed in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2007, along with the 2000 Asian Cup with Japan, Rookie of the Year in 1997, three Best Eleven selections, two World Cup squads, and 17 goals in 58 internationals. ST1996–2007

81 Gaku Shibasaki 45 caps · 3 goals · Kashima Antlers, Getafe CFTwo goals against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup final on 18 December 2016 put Kashima 2-1 up on the European champions, the second drilled past Keylor Navas from outside the box. Two J1 titles in 2016 and 2025, the 2016 Emperor's Cup, League Cups in 2011 and 2012, the Club World Cup Bronze Ball, the 2019 Asian Cup final, and the through ball for Japan's opener against Belgium in 2018 fill out the record. CM2011–25

30 TM 81 Tsuneyasu Miyamoto 71 caps · Gamba Osaka, FC Red Bull SalzburgA nasal fracture put him in a black protective mask through the 2002 World Cup, and he captained the hosts out of Group H into the last sixteen for the first time in Japan's history. He captained Japan at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, won the 2004 Asian Cup and made its Best Eleven, led Gamba Osaka to the J1 title in 2005, and finished with 71 caps. CB2002–06

31 AS 80 Alex Santos Sixteen when he left Maringá for a boarding school in Kochi, he was J.League MVP in 1999 while still Brazilian, took Japanese citizenship in 2001, and debuted for Japan against Ukraine in March 2002, ten weeks before the home World Cup. He played all six matches of Japan's 2004 Asian Cup win, went to two World Cups and finished on 82 caps, and won J1 titles with Urawa in 2006 and Nagoya in 2010 alongside three Emperor's Cups. LB1999–2010

32 HM 80 Hajime Moriyasu 35 caps · Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Kyoto SangaSuspension kept him out of the 1992 Asian Cup final, so he watched from the side as the Japan side he had anchored through every earlier round beat Saudi Arabia for the country's first continental title. That Asian Cup remains his biggest honour, ahead of the second stage of the 1994 J1 season with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 271 appearances across fourteen years at the club, 35 caps, and a single Japan goal against Australia in February 1996. CDM1992–96

80 Shuichi Gonda 3 caps · FC Tokyo, Sagan TosuAgainst Germany on 23 November 2022 he turned away Jonas Hofmann and then Serge Gnabry, and Japan were still one down when they scored twice late to win. He was in the squad that won the 2011 Asian Cup, reached the final again in 2019 and made that Team of the Tournament, and won the 2011 Emperor's Cup with an FC Tokyo side then playing in the second tier. GK2011–22

About this XI

Japan's pool is led by Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda. The 33 covers 3 goalkeepers, 9 defenders, 15 midfielders and 6 forwards. Hidetoshi Nakata leads the pool at 89 overall. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.

Left out, and why

A 33 is a set of decisions, and these are the players who lost their place in the last revision of Japan's list. Every one of them has a case.

Akira KajiRated 80 in the almanac. The place went to Kaoru Mitoma.

Disagree? That is the point. Settle it in the duels above.

Who is the greatest Japan footballer of all time?

In the 33 Legends editorial ranking, Hidetoshi Nakata leads Japan with an overall rating of 89. The editorial top five: Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Makoto Hasebe, Shunsuke Nakamura. The people's ranking on this page moves with every duel vote and can disagree.

How were these 33 Japan players chosen?

The pool covers every position across Japan's football history. Ratings weigh peak level, longevity, honours and historical standing, then the full methodology page explains the tiers. Fan votes in the duels build a second, independent ranking.

Which Japan players reach the Immortal tier or higher?

None yet. Hidetoshi Nakata leads the Japan pool at 89, in the Legend tier.

Can I build and share my own Japan all-time XI?

Yes. Pick one of eight formations, drag any of the 33 onto the pitch, and export your lineup as a PNG. There is no account and no sign-up.