From the history of the competition to the players currently dominating
Soccer/football, depending on how you refer to the game, is the nations second most popular sporting code. In some prefectures, they have ongoing debates about whether baseball or soccer is their areas top sport. Soccer has experienced exponential growth over the years and seems to keep growing. It has been a part of Japanese culture for over 50 years. However, the game didnt become professionalized until 1992.
The History of the J-League Competitions
Soccer in Japan was once played at a semi-pro level, and prior to that, at an extremely amateur level. During the 1920s and 1930s, soccer wasnt played much beyond high school and university level. The working class business men simply showed no interest in participating after their school days. As time went by, this kind of mentality started to change. In 1960, a few corporations entered their teams in the Emperors Cup competition. The notable pioneers in this venture were Mazda Motors and Furukawa Electric. After such trail-blazing behavior, Japan also went on to hire a German coach to work with the national team as they prepared for the 1964 Olympics. Although the team didnt quite achieve the goal they had set, soccer did start to spark a bit of notoriety and interest within corporate Japan and the society.
Yomiuri FC (now Tokyo Verdy) in the 80s
In 1965, the JSLJapan Soccer Leaguewas formed as a method to strengthen the soccer level in Japan. At that stage, it was a semi-professional league that was financially backedby corporations. This was a way of marketing their company brands and employing players to work a few hours a day, while also paying them to train and play for the company teams. By 1991, the JSL had been operating for 26 years and was renamed as the JFL Japan Football League. The league faced a lack of fan support because it was viewed as a company activity. Something had to change. A decision was made, and in 1992, the very first professional J-League match took place at Tokyos National Stadium. The game was well supported with the attendance being recorded as over 59,000 spectators.
Fast forward thirty years later, and the J-league now boaststhree divisions of professional soccer in Japan. Because of the rapid expansion and financial investment, the J-League had to be broken down into the J-1, J-2 and J-3 competitions respectively. The competitions continue to attract some of the best talent from all over the world. Over the years, teams have signed marquee players from well known football markets, players such as Andres Iniesta and Fernando Tores from the Spanish La Liga. Top African talent has also made its way to the J-league. After the 2020 season, Kenyan international Michael Olunga became the first African player to win the J-1 League Season MVP(Most Valuable Player).
The Current Top 3 Goal Scorers in the J1-League
The Shimizu S-Pulse striker has been thefindof the season. The team was struggling at the beginning of the season, but Thiago took responsibility and started playinglethalattacking football.Every week, he just seems to get better. The arrival of fellow Brazilian mid-field player- Ronaldo, has amplified Santanas performance as he now leads the J1-League with 12 goals.
With Kawasaki Frontales superstar player- Damio, still struggling with injury, someone had tostep up.Akihiro Lenaga has been in phenomenal form over the past few weeks. He has taken advantage of every opportunity given to him by the team. His goal scoring has kept the teams hope alive in possibly winning the league for the third year in a row. The team is currently second on the log, with Lenaga, having scored 11 goals! Not bad for a 36 year old veteran player.
The Yokohama F. Marinos center-forward has been extremely fortunate by being surrounded by such talented teammates. It has made his job as a striker- that much easier. Ceara is a great finisher with speed and accuracy, and this has allowed him to score some amazing goals this season. He is currently tied with Lenaga, with 11 goals and is third on the list of top goal scorers, with a game in-hand. His team currently leads the league as they are number one on the log.
Zila Mbekela is a sports agent and freelance writer. He is also a former professional athlete and published author. He has been living in Japan for five years.
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