Rookies make their mark in 2024 season openers as Kyoto’s 18-year-old Yuto Anzai makes debut impact

The 2024 J1 League season began on 23 February.

Reigning champions Vissel Kobe won comfortably on the opening day against promoted Júbilo Iwata, while favourites Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated the highly-regarded Urawa Reds. Other strong teams such as Yokohama F. Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale also got off to decent starts, picking up all three points from their matches.

Individually, Yuki Ohashi, who had moved to Hiroshima from Shonan Bellmare, played a key role in his team’s victory, scoring twice. Having joined FC Tokyo from Kashima Antlers, Ryotaro Araki also showcased a great performance with two goals against Cerezo Osaka.

Several rookies who joined the professional football clubs this year also made their debuts.

A total of four players made the starting line-up for their club’s season openers: Kimito Nono of Kashima; Hiroki Sekine at Kashiwa Reysol; Iwata’s Hiroto Uemura; and Masato Shigemi for Avispa Fukuoka. Interestingly, three of those players are right-backs except of Shigemi. This is a position where there is a slight shortage of talent in the Japanese game, which perhaps made it easier for the rookies to get their chances.

Nono is expected to be a latest prospect in a long line of gifted right-backs at Kashima

Of the three, the standout is perhaps Kashima’s Nono. He played as a No.10 in high school, but his talent blossomed when he was converted to a full-back at university. He is expected to be the latest prospect in a long line of gifted right-backs at Kashima, a club which has produced many great players such as Atsuto Uchida in the position.

In the opening match against Nagoya Grampus Nono created chances with his well-timed passing, while his tenacious defending shut down the opposition’s attacks from wide. He was relieved of his duties in the 69th minute with Kashima three goals ahead, having already contributed more than enough to the team’s attacking firepower to deliver the convincing win.

However, it was not Nono who shone brightest in the opening week. Yuto Anzai of Kyoto Sanga FC, the only high school graduate rookie to play in the match, instead takes that accolade.

After being brought on in the 89th minute away at Kashiwa with Kyoto 1-0 down, Anzai was instrumental in securing a dramatic late point, equalising in the 94th minute after converting a loose ball.

Anzai was born in Fukushima Prefecture and experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake as a child. After attending Shoshi High School in his home town, he became an ace with his natural dribbling ability and determination and progressed through the ranks to be selected for the Japan national team for his age group.

Before joining Kyoto he sought to play abroad and trained with German second-division side Paderborn, but struggled a little with the physicality and decided instead to play in the J.League. He was highly rated in Kyoto’s pre-season training camp and made the bench for the opening game of the season, from where he immediately went on to make a huge contribution.

Anzai is the third high school graduate rookie to score a goal in the opening game of a J.League season, following Shoji Jo (JEF United Ichihara) in 1994 and Naohiro Takahara (Júbilo Iwata) in 1998. The 18-year-old winger, who is reminiscent of the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Neymar, could be a standout in this season’s J.League.

Other players making their debuts in the opening round included 192 cm tall right-back Henry Heroki Mochizuki (FC Machida Zelvia) and technical left-footer Katsuyuki Tanaka (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo).

Will one of these student-turned-professional players emerge as a talent to lead Japan in the future? We can only hope that these freshmen, filled with great hope and potential, will continue to make their mark.

Major rookies who played in the season opener

• Katsuyuki Tanaka / Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (from Meiji University)
• Kimito Nono / Kashima Antlers (from Kwansei Gakuin University)
• Hiroki Sekine / Kashiwa Reysol (from Takushoku University)
• Soma Anzai / FC Tokyo (from Waseda University)
• Henry Heroki Mochizuki / FC Machida Zelvia (from Kokushikan University)
• Hiroto Uemura / Júbilo Iwata (from Waseda University)
• Ken Masui / Nagoya Grampus (from Kwansei Gakuin University)
• Yuto Anzai / Kyoto Sanga FC (from Shoshi High School)
• Masato Shigemi / Avispa Fukuoka (from Fukuoka University)