J.League 2024 player rankings by nationality: more diversity but no big names

The J.League player registration period closed on 27 March (although additional registrations will be possible again between 8 July and 21 August), with squads for this season now finalised.

The total number of registered foreign players in the J1 League is 87. Although the overseas quota was abolished in 2019, most teams have registered around four to six players from abroad as it is still stipulated that a maximum of five non-Japanese players can be included in a match-day squad.

A breakdown of the 87 players shows that more than half, 44, come from Brazil. Next is South Korea with 16 players, followed by Australia with three, and Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Thailand and Serbia with two.

Justin Hubner of Cerezo Osaka becomes the first Indonesian to play in J1

Looking back at the history of the J.League, there have been many Brazilians and Koreans over the years, so these figures aren’t especially new. On the other hand, the nationality of foreign players has become increasingly diverse in recent years. This season, for instance, players from countries such as Kosovo (Ibrahim Dresevic / Machida Zelvia), Iran (Shahab Zahedi / Avispa Fukuoka) and Indonesia (Justin Hubner / Cerezo Osaka) have joined the ranks, in addition to those from ‘advanced footballing nations’ such as Spain and France.

At present, however, there are no world-class talents among the foreign players plying their trade in Japan. There was a time when the J.League boasted big names such as Andrés Iniesta, who played for Vissel Kobe until the middle of last season, Diego Forlan, Lukas Podolski and, further back, Zico and Dragan Stojković.

Perhaps the most well-known name in the J.League this season is Kawasaki Frontale’s Bafetimbi Gomis. However, the Frenchman is already past the peak of his career at the age of 38 and has yet to score a league goal since joining the club midway through last season. Ola Solbakken, who joined Urawa Reds on loan from Roma this season, meanwhile, has not even made it onto the pitch yet.

Even considering the impressive number of foreign players, their influence in the current J.League has been reduced. Kobe won the championship last season with a predominantly Japanese team, for example, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima has been on a roll since the start of this season with an almost exclusively Japanese squad.

With the level of Japanese players increasing, a more serious eye should be turned to the acquisition of foreign players because past achievements and prestige alone are no longer enough to make a mark in this league.

Of course, it is a difficult mission for the cash-strapped clubs of the J.League to acquire big names. Nevertheless, fresh blood from outside would certainly help to keep improving the level of the league. The arrival of world-class players would also further boost the popularity and strength of the J.League.

Ranking of registered players in J1 by nationality

1st (44)
Brazil / Anderson Lopes, Matheus Savio, Leo Ceara etc.

2nd (16)
South Korea / Ha Chang Rae, Jung Sung Ryong, Nam Tae Hee etc.

3rd (3)
Australia / Thomas Deng, Mitchell Langerak, Mitchell Duke

4th (2)
Denmark / Kasper Junker, Alexander Scholz
Netherlands / Jay-Roy Grot, Bryan Linssen
Norway / Marius Hoibraten, Ola Solbakken
Thailand / Ekanit Panya, Supachok Sarachat
Serbia / Radomir Milosavljevic, Aleksandar Cavric

9th (1)
Belgium / Jordy Croux
Chile / Vasquez Byron
Cyprus / Pieros Sotiriou
France / Bafetimbi Gomis
Indonesia / Justin Hubner
Iran / Shahab Zahedi
Israel / Neta Lavi
Kosovo / Ibrahim Dresevic
Portugal / Tiago Alves
Spain / Arnau Riera Rodríguez
Surinam / Warner Hahn
Sweden / Samuel Gustafson
Switzerland / Nassim Ben Khalifa
Tunisia / Issam Jebali