Cerezo Osaka

Cerezo Osaka
セレッソ大阪
Full nameCerezo Osaka
Nickname(s)Sakura (cherry blossoms)
Founded1957; 67 years ago (1957) as Yanmar Diesel SC
StadiumYodoko Sakura Stadium
Capacity24,481
OwnerYanmar
ChairmanHiroaki Morishima
ManagerAkio Kogiku
LeagueJ1 League
2023J1 League, 9th of 18
Websitehttp://www.cerezo.co.jp/
Current season

Cerezo Osaka (セレッソ大阪, Seresso Ōsaka) is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name Cerezo (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka.[1] The official hometowns of the club are Osaka and Sakai. They form a local rivalry with Suita-based Gamba Osaka.

History

Beginnings (1957–1992)

The club, originally called Yanmar Diesel, started in 1957 as the company team of Yanmar and was an original founder ("Original Eight"[a]) of the now-disbanded Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. With four Japanese league titles to its credit, it was a mainstay of the JSL Division 1 until 1990 when it was first relegated, and joined the former Japan Football League (JFL) in 1992.

Privatised and registered under a new name (1993–present)

In 1993, the club incorporated as Osaka Football Club Co., Ltd. and adopted the name Cerezo Osaka after a public contest.[2] In 1994, they won the Japan Football League championship and was promoted to the J1 League in 1995. This also coincided with a run to the finals of the Emperor's Cup, which they lost to Bellmare Hiratsuka.

Cerezo has been relegated from J1 to J2 on three occasions, but are currently playing in the J1 league. The club had an impressive third-place finish in the 2017 season.

Taste of silverware

On 4 November 2017, Cerezo won the 2017 J.League Cup, the first major title in their club history, defeating Kawasaki Frontale 2–0.

On 1 January 2018, Cerezo won the 2017 Emperor's Cup, securing their second major title. The final match was against Yokohama F. Marinos, where Cerezo won 2–1 in extra time with Kota Mizunuma scoring the winner.

On 10 February 2018, Cerezo won the 2018 Japanese Super Cup winning 3–2 against Kawasaki Frontale.

In May 2018, the club changed its incorporated name from Osaka Football Club Co., Ltd. to Cerezo Osaka Co., Ltd.

In 2022, the club got close to winning the J.League Cup for their second title, but blew a 1–0 lead to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in injury time after Hiroshima player Pieros Sotiriou scored two goals in the 96th and 101st minutes of the match to give the opponent the J.League Cup.

On 1 February 2023, Cerezo signed former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United player, Shinji Kagawa on a two-years contract.

Stadiums

The hometowns of the club are Osaka and Sakai. The club plays at the Yodoko Sakura Stadium, with some bigger matches played at the Yanmar Stadium Nagai.[3]

The club practices at Minami Tsumori Sakura Sports Park, Maishima Sports Island, and Amagasaki Yanmar Diesel Ground.

Mascots

The club's mascots are a wolf named Lobby (from Spanish lobo, meaning wolf) and Madame Lobina, Lobby's mother.[4] On February 22, 2020, host and TV personality Roland was appointed Cerezo's "Official CereMan".[5]

Rivalries

Cerezo's biggest rival is fellow Osaka club Gamba Osaka. The matches played between Cerezo and Gamba are referred to as the Osaka derby.

Kits and colours

Cerezo's club colour is pink, like the cherry blossoms that the club's name is based on. Combination colours have been navy blue and black. This year, the uniform colour is pink (home) and white (away) for the outfield players and black (home), pink (away) and green for the goalkeepers.

During the Yanmar Diesel days in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, the uniform was all-red reminiscent of Deportivo Toluca.

Colours, sponsors and kit makers

Season(s) Main Shirt Sponsor Collarbone Sponsor(s) Additional Sponsor(s) Kit Manufacturer
2018 Yanmar - - Nippon Ham Singha Kincho Nakabayashi - Puma
2019 Sharp
2020 - /
Danish
2021 Yodogawa Steel Works -
2022 Yodogawa Steel Works Nikkon Holdings - /
Capcom
2023 Capcom -
2024

Kit evolution

League and cup record

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
League J.League
Cup		 Emperor's
Cup		 ACL
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W(OTW/PKW) D L(OTL/PKL) F A GD Pts Attendance/G
1995 J1 14 8th 52 25(0/0) - 11(0/2) 43 44 -1 41 12,097 – 2nd round –
1996 16 13th 30 10 - 20 38 56 -18 30 8,229 Group stage Round of 16
1997 17 11th 32 13(1/2) - 10(5/1) 53 56 -3 43 9,153 Group stage Round of 16
1998 18 9th 34 14(1/0) - 17(1/1) 56 79 -23 44 9,864 Group stage 3rd round
1999 16 6th 30 15(4/0) - 10(1/0) 64 45 19 53 10,216 2nd round Round of 16
2000 16 5th 30 14(3/0) - 11(2/0) 54 49 5 48 13,548 2nd round Quarter-finals
2001 16 16th 30 5(3/0) 2 18(0/0) 41 70 -29 21 11,857 1st round Runners-up
2002 J2 12 2nd 44 25 12 7 93 53 40 87 7,952 Not eligible Round of 16
2003 J1 16 9th 30 12 4 14 55 56 -1 40 13,854 Group stage Runners-up
2004 16 15th 30 6 8 16 42 64 -22 26 14,323 Group stage 4th round
2005 18 5th 34 16 11 7 48 40 8 59 17,648 Quarter-finals Semi-finals
2006 18 17th 34 6 9 19 44 70 -26 27 13,026 Quarter-finals 4th round
2007 J2 13 5th 48 24 8 16 72 55 17 80 6,627 Not eligible 4th round
2008 15 4th 42 21 6 15 81 60 21 69 10,554 4th round
2009 18 2nd 51 31 11 9 100 53 47 104 9,912 2nd round
2010 J1 18 3rd 34 17 10 7 51 31 20 61 15,026 Group stage Round of 16
2011 18 12th 34 11 10 13 67 53 14 43 14,145 Quarter final Semi-finals Quarter-finals
2012 18 14th 34 11 9 14 47 53 -6 42 16,815 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals –
2013 18 4th 34 16 11 7 53 32 21 59 18,819 Quarter-finals Round of 16
2014 18 17th 34 7 10 17 36 48 -12 31 21,627 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Round of 16
2015 J2 22 4th 42 18 13 11 57 40 17 67 12,232 Not eligible 1st round –
2016 22 4th 42 23 9 10 62 46 16 78 12,509 3rd round
2017 J1 18 3rd 34 19 6 9 64 43 22 63 20,970 Winner Winner
2018 18 7th 34 13 11 10 39 38 1 50 18,542 Quarter final Round of 16 Group stage
2019 18 5th 34 18 5 11 39 29 14 59 21,518 Play-offs Round of 16 –
2020 † 18 4th 34 18 6 10 46 37 9 60 7,014 Quarter final Did not qualify
2021 † 20 12th 38 13 9 16 47 51 -4 48 5,351 Runners up Semi-finals Round of 16
2022 18 5th 34 13 12 9 46 40 6 51 11,427 Runners up Quarter-finals –
2023 18 9th 34 15 4 15 39 34 5 49 17,074 Group stage Round of 16
2024 20 TBA 38
Key
  • Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
  • Attendance/G = Average league home attendance
  • † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced due to COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
  • Source: J.League Data Site

Honours

As both Yanmar Diesel (1957–1993) and Cerezo Osaka (1993–present)

Cerezo Osaka honours
Honour No. Years
Emperor's Cup 4 1968, 1970, 1974, 2017
Japan Soccer League Division 1 4 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980
Japan Soccer League Cup 3 1973 (shared), 1983, 1984
All Japan Senior Football Championship 1 1976
Queen's Cup 1 1976
Japanese Super Cup 2 1981, 2018
Japan Football League 1 1994
J.League Cup 1 2017

League history

Current squad

As of 29 July 2024.[6][7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK South Korea KOR Yang Han-been
3 DF Japan JPN Ryosuke Shindo (vice-captain)
4 MF Japan JPN Yuichi Hirano
5 MF Japan JPN Hinata Kida
6 DF Japan JPN Kyohei Noborizato
7 MF Japan JPN Satoki Uejo
8 MF Japan JPN Shinji Kagawa
9 FW Brazil BRA Léo Ceará (vice-captain)
10 MF Japan JPN Shunta Tanaka
14 DF Japan JPN Kakeru Funaki
16 DF Japan JPN Hayato Okuda
17 MF Japan JPN Reiya Sakata
19 MF Japan JPN Hirotaka Tameda
21 GK South Korea KOR Kim Jin-hyeon
22 DF Japan JPN Niko Takahashi
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 DF Japan JPN Tatsuya Yamashita (captain)
24 DF Japan JPN Koji Toriumi
25 MF Japan JPN Hiroaki Okuno
27 MF Brazil BRA Capixaba
29 FW Japan JPN Ryogo Yamasaki
31 GK Japan JPN Keisuke Shimizu
33 DF Japan JPN Ryuya Nishio (vice-captain)
34 FW Japan JPN Hiroto Yamada
38 FW Japan JPN Sota Kitano
45 GK Japan JPN Ken Isibor Type 2
47 FW Japan JPN Kengo Furuyama DSP
48 MF Japan JPN Masaya Shibayama
55 MF Brazil BRA Vitor Bueno
77 MF Brazil BRA Lucas Fernandes

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF Japan JPN Hiroshi Kiyotake (at Sagan Tosu)
32 FW Japan JPN Shinnosuke Kinoshita (at Gainare Tottori)
35 FW Japan JPN Ryo Watanabe (at Júbilo Iwata)
— MF Japan JPN Jun Nishikawa (at Iwaki FC)
— MF Japan JPN Kosei Okazawa (at FC Ryukyu)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Japan JPN Motohiko Nakajima (at Vegalta Sendai)
— MF Japan JPN Nagi Matsumoto (at Montedio Yamagata)
— MF Japan JPN Nelson Ishiwatari (at Ehime FC)
— MF Japan JPN Rui Osako (at Iwaki FC)

Club officials

Club officials for 2024. [8]

Position Staff
Manager Japan Akio Kogiku
Coaches Japan Daisuke Takahashi
Brazil Bruno Quadros
Japan Mitsumasa Kosugi
Japan Kota Fujimoto
Analytical coach Japan Yamato Saino
Goalkeeping coach Japan Nobuhiro Takeda
Physical coaches Japan Sho Watanabe
Japan Atsuhiro Furuta
Fitness coach Japan Koji Hanaki
Japan Haruki Wada
Performance coach Japan Yusuke Fukuhara
Physiotherapists Japan Atsushi Kitaura
Japan Akihiro Sasaki
Interpreters Japan Jackson Yozen Tonaki
Japan Kento Koike
Japan Takanori Shirasawa
Chief secretary Japan Atsushi Imanishi
Team secretary Japan Shoki Kokawa
South Korea Lee Sung-in
Kitman Japan Tomoharu Nagahisa

Manager history

[9]

Manager Nationality Tenure
From To
Paulo Emilio  Brazil 1 January 1994 31 December 1995
Hiroshi Sowa  Japan 1 January 1996 31 December 1996
Levir Culpi  Brazil 1 February 1997 31 December 1997
Yasutaro Matsuki  Japan 1 January 1998 31 December 1999
René Desaeyere  Belgium 1 February 1999 31 January 2000
Hiroshi Soejima  Japan 1 February 2000 19 August 2001
João Carlos  Brazil 20 August 2001 4 November 2001
Akihiro Nishimura  Japan 5 November 2001 6 October 2003
Yuji Tsukada  Japan 7 October 2003 1 January 2004
Petar Nadoveza  Croatia 2 January 2004 1 February 2004
Fuad Muzurović  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 February 2004 22 March 2004
Albert Pobor  Croatia 23 March 2004 28 June 2004
Shinji Kobayashi  Japan 1 July 2004 17 April 2006
Yuji Tsukada  Japan 18 April 2006 31 December 2006
Satoshi Tsunami  Japan 1 January 2007 7 May 2007
Levir Culpi  Brazil 8 May 2007 31 December 2011
Sérgio Soares  Brazil 1 January 2012 26 August 2012
Levir Culpi  Brazil 27 August 2012 11 December 2013
Ranko Popović  Serbia 1 January 2014 9 June 2014
Marco Pezzaiuoli  Germany 16 June 2014 8 September 2014
Yuji Okuma  Japan 8 September 2014 16 December 2014
Paulo Autuori  Brazil 1 January 2015 17 November 2015
Kiyoshi Okuma  Japan 17 November 2015 31 January 2017
Yoon Jong-hwan  South Korea 1 February 2017 31 December 2018
Miguel Ángel Lotina  Spain 1 February 2019 31 January 2021
Levir Culpi  Brazil 1 February 2021 26 August 2021
Akio Kogiku  Japan 26 August 2021 11 October 2024

Continental record

As of 24 June 2021
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2011 AFC Champions League Group G Indonesia Arema FC Malang 2–1 4–0 2nd
China Shandong Luneng Taishan 4–0 0–2
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1–0 0–1
Round of 16 Japan Gamba Osaka 1–0
Quarter-finals South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4–3 1–6 5–9
2014 Group F South Korea Pohang Steelers 0–2 1–1 2nd
China Shandong Taishan 1–3 2–1
Thailand Buriram United 4–0 2–2
Round of 16 China Guangzhou 1–5 1–0 2–5
2018 Group G South Korea Jeju United 2–1 1–0 3rd
China Guangzhou 0–0 1–3
Thailand Buriram United 2–2 0–2
2021 Play-off round Australia Melbourne City Cancelled
Group J China Guangzhou 5–0[b] 2–0[b] 1st
Hong Kong Kitchee 2–1[b] 0–0[b]
Thailand Port 1–1[b] 3–0[b]
Round of 16 South Korea Pohang Steelers 0–1
  1. ^ The original clubs of the Japan Soccer League in 1965 were Mitsubishi Motors, Furukawa Electric, Hitachi, Yanmar, Toyo Kogyo, Yahata Steel, Toyota Industries and Nagoya Mutual Bank.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Played at a neutral venue.

In the manga series Captain Tsubasa, a character named Teppei Kisugi becomes a professional football player and joins Cerezo Osaka.[citation needed]

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Club Guide Profile". Archived from the original on 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  2. ^ "Cerezo Osaka Profile". Cerezo Osaka official website. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  3. ^ Stadium Information, Link to stadiums.
  4. ^ セレッソ大阪とは (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "ローランド、セレッソ大阪「公認セレ男」に就任！！". 20 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  6. ^ "トップチーム選手" (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  7. ^ 2024シーズン キャプテン、副キャプテンについて. cerezo.jp (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Club staff for 2024 season". cerezo.jp. Cerezo Osaka FC. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Club history". セレッソ大阪 沿革. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
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