By In recent years, Japanese footballers have been a World Cup ever-present. Having won four of the six tournaments, Japan has enjoyed a large amount of success in the Asian Cup. The Samurai Blue have advanced beyond the group stages on two occasions. This included them topping their group in 2002. Here are the 7 best Japanese football players of all time:
1. Kunishige Kamamoto (1964-1977, 84 caps, 80 goals)
Kamamoto is a one-club man. He was the first real superstar that Japan produced. Scoring goals like mere bread and butter, Kamamoto impressively secured three campaigns and a double-figure return. Over his 17-year association with Yanmar Diesel, the centre-forward fired in over 250 goals. Kamamoto is one of the top-notch goalscorers in the whole of japan, with just four fewer goals than caps earned. His goals helped the Asian nation to win the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.
2. Kazuyoshi Miura (1990-2000, 89 caps, 55 goals)
Kazuyoshi Miura, born in 1967, is an outstanding footballer. He’s 47 years old and currently leads the attack of J-League Second Division outfit Yokohama FC, whom he joined in 2005. Miura is known for his goal-scoring powers. Displaying his career tempted Genoa to take him to Italy in 1994, and he became the first-ever Japanese footballer to ever appear in Serie A. He struggled to adapt to life in Europe. But soon returned to his homeland after a brief stint in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.
3. Shinji Kagawa (2008-present, 54 caps, 17 goals)
Regarded as one of the best-ever footballers in Japan, Shinji Kagawa is just 25 years old. He impressed Cerezo Osaka, Borussia Dortmund and took the playmaker to the Bundesliga in 2010 for a mere £300,000. Kagawa helped Dortmund win the Bundesliga twice during his two seasons with the club. Though his exit from the 2010 World Cup squad raised eyebrows, he returned the following year to help Japan win the Asian Cup. 12 months later, Kagawa was voted as Asia’s International Player of the Year!
4. Shunsuke Nakamura (2000-2010, 98 caps, 24 goals)
Nakamura is linked with a host of clubs. These include Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Before his move to Scotland in 2005, he produced some of the most cherishable moments for his fans. He showed that the battle for his signature was worth the effort! In 2007, Nakamura won several accolades, including the SPFA Players’ Player of the Year and the SFWA Footballer of the Year awards. He was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
5. Yasuhito Endo (2002-present, 141 caps, 12 goals)
Being a two-time winner of the Asian Cup in 2004 and 2007, Yasuhito Endi has turned out for the Samurai Blue more times than any other player. This 34-year-old has been with Gamba Osaka since 2001. Since joining Gamba, Endo has made the J-League Team of the Season 10 times. He also scored the 3-1 win over Denmark at the 2010 World Cup.
6. Hidetoshi Nakata (1997-2006, 77 caps, 11 goals)
The 29-year-old Nakata won the Serie A title with AS Roma in 2001. He helped Parma to lift the Coppa Italia a year later at the expense of Juventus. Mamata starred by scoring 5 times as Japan qualified for their first world cup in 1998.
Yet, following spells with Fiorentina and Bolton Wanderers, the midfielder retired, later explaining to TMW: “Day after day I realised that football had just become a big business. I could feel that the team was playing just for money and not for the sake of having fun. I always felt that a team was like a big family, but it stopped being like that. I was sad, that’s why I stopped at only 29.”
7. Shinji Okazaki (2008-present, 73 caps, 38 goals)
Showcasing his credentials during a 5-year spell with Shimizu S-Pulse, Okazaki is currently tied for third with Hiroma Hara. He struggled to find the net consistently at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. However, he has since rediscovered his clinical touch with Mainz.
