The greatest Japanese footballers in history

Japan is one of the best football countries in Asia and has produced many outstanding footballers in its history. Let's see who are the best players in the history of the 'Land of the Rising Sun'.

First up is Takumi Minamino, an attacker who made a name for himself at Austrian club RB Salzburg.

His good performances in Austria earned him a transfer to Liverpool, where he made 55 appearances and scored 14 goals (Transfermarkt). In 2022, Minamino signed for AS Monaco.

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The word 'legend' was created for players like Kazuyoshi Miura, who is still playing in his fifties and was a prolific goalscorer in his prime.

Miura represented Japan 89 times, scoring no less than 55 goals, and played in his native country, Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal.

Next up, is former Manchester United man, Shinji Kagawa.

Kagawa struggled to make his mark at Old Trafford, having excelled at German side Borussia Dortmund and Cerezo Osaka, but he is still regarded as one of Japan's all-time greats.

The same can be said of Kunishige Kamamoto, a legendary former centre-forward.

Kamamoto scored no fewer than 80 goals in 84 games for Japan, which still makes him his country's all-time leading scorer.

Next up is Shunsuke Nakamura, a player with one of the best left feet of all time.

Nakamura was lethal from set pieces, and in his prime scored numerous howlers for Celtic Glasgow.

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Makoto Hasabe made a name for himself representing several German clubs, including VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Hasebe was capped more than 100 times by Japan and won the 2008/09 Bundesliga title with Wolfsburg.

Another player with a brilliant left foot, Keisuke Honda deserves a place on this list.

Honda represented Dutch club VVV-Venlo and Russian club CSKA Moscow before moving to Italian giants AC Milan, in the biggest transfer of his career.

Another player known for his time in Italy is Hidetoshi Nakata.

The former midfielder started his career in Japan, but went on to play for Perugia, AS Roma, AC Parma, Bologna, ACF Fiorentina and Bolton. In 2000/01 he won the Serie A title with Roma and a season later the Italian Cup with Parma.

Although he won numerous trophies in his home country, Shinji Ono is especially remembered for his time with Dutch giants Feyenoord Rotterdam.

With the Dutch team, he won the UEFA Cup in the 2001/02 season, beating a strong Borussia Dortmund side in the final.

Centre-back Maya Yoshida represented his country at several major tournaments, wearing the captain's armband on numerous occasions.

He began his career with Nagoya Grampus, and later went on to play for VVV-Venlo, Southampton, Sampdoria, FC Schalke 04 and the LA Galaxy.

Junichi Inamoto, one of the Japanese stars of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, is one of the best Japanese midfielders in history.

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He started his European career at Arsenal, but never really broke through at the Gunners. He recovered at Fulham, and later played for Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt, amongst other clubs.