Tokyo, Feb 16 (EFE).- The professional soccer league of Japan will begin a new season this Friday, which could be the last with the presence of Andrés Iniesta as one of its main stars, and with teams that export more and more to their young talents to the big leagues.
The J-League celebrates its 30th anniversary in its current format in 2023, a period in which it has established itself as the most powerful national championship in Asia, and more recently, as a factory of promises for more prestigious leagues.
Two of the most prominent players who have left the Japanese competition before the start of the new season have been Taichi Fukui, at just 18 years old signed from Sagan Tosu by the almighty Bayern Munich, and the defender Tomoki Iwata, 25, Hired by Celtic in Glasgow after being chosen as the best footballer last season with Yokohama Marinos.
Their names join others who have left the J-League for successful careers in Europe, such as Daiichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal FC), Daizen Meda (Celtic), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton FC), Ritsu Doan (SC Freiburg) or like Take Kubo himself, currently at Real Sociedad.
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT FOR INIESTA
At 38 years old, the former player of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team faces his sixth season in the J-League with Vissel Kobe, and it could be his last, since his contract expires at the end of 2023.
Although he remains the benchmark for the team and flagship of the J-League after a disappointing previous season both personally and collectively, his future is unknown.
The midfielder said he was “more focused on the present than on the future” at a presentation of the J-League a few days after its start, adding that “he will decide when it is time” about the next steps in his career.
The footballer, who will turn 39 next May, also said in an interview with EFE last December that for the moment he does not see his retirement from football close.
Vissel Kobe, in which ex-Barcelona player Sergi Samper also plays, aspires to improve on the thirteenth place of the previous season, in which the team spent a large part of the year in relegation places and had up to four different coaches, the last of them, Takayuki Yoshida, will continue in office for this season.
RENEWED FORMAT AND THE SAME FAVORITES
The Japanese league will kick off this Friday with a duel between defending champion Yokohama Marinos and runner-up Kawasaki Frontale, the two teams that have dominated the J-League for the past few years and are also top favorites this year.
The Yokohama club has lost the aforementioned Iwata and its starting goalkeeper, Yohei Takaoka, while it has the continuity of other pillars such as the Brazilians Anderson Lopes and Elber and the promising Joel Chima Fujita.
Along with Frontale, teams are expected to try to climb to the top of the table such as a reinforced FC Tokyo, coached by the Spanish Albert Puig and who finished sixth last year, as well as Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3rd), Kashima Antlers (4th) and Cerezo Osaka (5th).
This last club has signed Shinji Kagawa, who at 33 years old returns to his home club after a long career in Europe during which he won several titles with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United, as well as a brief stint at Real Zaragoza , among other equipment.
The other team from Osaka, Gamba, will be led this season by the Spanish Daniel Poyatos, who last year coached Tokushima Vortis in the Japanese second category.
The J-League will conclude next December, and of the 18 teams that make it up, only the last classified will be relegated to the second division, since next year the top flight will expand to 20 clubs, including 3 that will be promoted from J2 .
