Ko Itakura: ‘The condition of my leg has improved a lot, now I’m looking forward to days ahead.’
National Team
Shunsuke Mito, this season’s J.League Best Young Player Award winner, moves to Sparta Rotterdam while the 18-year-old striker Keisuke Goto joins the Belgian powerhouse
J.League
Shinji Ono and Naohiro Takahara, the 44-year-old leaders of the so-called golden generation, have both ended their careers while Yosuke Kashiwagi, a former Urawa icon, retired in the third division
JPN round up in the top five European leagues: Wataru Endo played full minutes against leaders while Keito Nakamura scored the winner in France
World
Shinji Ono retired: Keepy-uppy skills surprised Robin van Persie and took the pressure off his Feyenoord team-mates
JPN round up in the top five European leagues: Wataru Endo played full minutes and Asano scored his fifth goal of the season
AFC Champions League group stage review: J2 side Ventforet Kofu achieve historic qualification while defending champions Urawa Reds suffer unexpected elimination
Champions League and Europa League Matchday 6 review: Arsenal, Real Sociedad, Brighton, Liverpool finished top and Lazio, Freiburg, Sporting qualified as well
FOODPICKS – what is your favourite Japanese cuisine on a matchday?
Culture
JPN round up in the top five European leagues: Takefusa Kubo scored and assisted while Makoto Hasebe set another new record
Kawasaki Frontale won the Emperor’s Cup for the second time in three years after Jung Sung-Ryong had shown heroic performance
2023 J1 League team of the season selected by FOOTPICKS: The top scorers form the front line while Keisuke Osako, Kota Watanabe, Elber, and Sho Sasaki are included as well
The MVP of the 2023 J.League was awarded to Yuya Osako as four players from the winners Vissel Kobe were selected for J1 Best Eleven
JPN round up in the top five European leagues: Endo scored a valuable equaliser and Minamino recorded his fifth goal of the season
J1 Matchweek 34 review: Yokohama FC were relegated back to J2 after one year, Hiroshima finished third and Osako tied with Anderson Lopes on top of score ranking
J1 Matchweek 34 preview: Yuya Osako and Anderson Lopes are dead-heating to be top scorer while Shinji Ono will say farewell to the J.League