Core components of the Spain dynasty that won three major honours, David Villa, Fernando Torres, and Andrés Iniesta all played together in Japan three years ago
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If you’re a whizz in the football rounds of pub quizzes, you’ll know that the J-League has been a landing spot for many legends of the sport. Zico, Dunga, Hulk, Jorginho, Park Ji-Sung, Gary Lineker, Michael Laudrup, and Lukas Podolski have all featured in the top-flight of Japanese football. At the same time, Arsène Wenger was poached from Nagoya Grampus Eight to become the legendary Arsenal manager.
In 2019, the J-League had an incredibly prestigious trio take to its pitches. Core components of the Spain dynasty that won three major honours, David Villa, Fernando Torres, and Andrés Iniesta all played together in Japan three years ago. Now, only Iniesta remains of the three, but there are still a fair few European talents finding success in Japan.
While many people and organisations find the jump to Japan to be quite the culture shock, across all lines, some standouts do cement themselves with the Japanese public.
As noted, coming to Japan can be a culture shock, but there are plenty of examples of success beyond football – as well as within the sport. Online, European brands like Mega Paris Casino and Betway have become popular in Japan because they integrate themselves into the market, with Tops Casino Online showcasing many brands that have succeeded by presenting offers and games in Japanese Yen.
Beyond the internet, which is one of the more welcoming environments for businesses to get into Japan, a couple of other European brands have caught on in Japan. The most famous example is KitKat, the chocolate wafer bar introduced by British confectioner Rowntree and continued in the market by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé. IKEA’s initial entry didn’t end well, but now, the Swedish furniture brand is a dominant force.
For businesses, there are many cultural, social, and economic hurdles to jump to tweak a product to suit the Japanese market. In football, where the only parameter is performance on the pitch, it’s easier for Europeans to hit the ground running.
Andrés Iniesta is the most high-profile import player in the J-League right now. He’s the last of the 2019 Spanish trio Marca reported on a few years ago and is contracted to Vissel Kobe through to January 2024. This season, as club captain, the Spaniard put up three goals and three assists in 25 games. While he never reached his lauded potential, Bojan Krkić also played for Vissel Kobe in 2021, playing 26 games and scoring once.
Joining from Sparta Prague in January of this year, winger David Moberg Karlsson has quickly made an impact in the J-League. Joining Urawa Red Diamonds, the Swede has already bagged 13 goals and four assists in 29 games. With Karlsson for the Reds, Danish striker Alexander Scholz has scored seven goals in 43 games, and his compatriot Kasper Junker has also netted nine times in 27 games.
It should be noted, however, that neither Vissel Kobe nor the Urawa Reds are in contention at the top of the J-League table. In fact, Iniesta’s side is only a few points away from the bottom three. So, while a team can splash out European players, it won’t always create a league-winning side.
