They say the hardest thing to do in football is score goals, but these J.LEAGUE strikers make it look easy.
Meet some of the clinical finishers set to keep scoreboard operators busy in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE.
Leo Ceara (Kashima Antlers, Brazil)
Leo Ceara finished as top scorer in the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, plundering 21 goals as he inspired Kashima Antlers to a first top flight title in nine years.
The Brazilian made his J.LEAGUE debut 10 years ago, naturally scoring on his first appearance for FC RYUKYU, but only finding the net once more in the 2016 J3 season before returning to Brazil.
He was back in Japan in 2021 though, when the powerful striker signed for J1 side Yokohama F･Marinos and embarked upon a terrifically consistent goalscoring run - that season marking the first of five in a row in which Leo Ceara hit double figures, striking 10 times before he contributed 11 goals to Yokohama F･M’s J1 title triumph in 2022.
The following year the lethal finisher joined Cerezo Osaka, where he built to 12 goals in his first season before converting a sensational 21 in 2024, a return that attracted the attention of the J.LEAGUE’s most successful side Kashima.
Leo Ceara answered that call in characteristic style by matching that tally last year, and he is sure to be among the most feared forwards again in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE.
Yuya Osako (Vissel Kobe, Japan)
Former Japan No.9 Osako has a decade’s worth of experience in the J.LEAGUE, and remains one of the most feared opponents for defenders around Japan.
The Kagoshima native made his debut on 15th March 2009 for Kashima Antlers, scoring his first league goal the following month.
He went on to find the net 40 times for Kashima over the next five years before transferring to Germany in 2014, where he spent the next seven and a half seasons ahead of his return to Japan with Vissel Kobe in 2021.
Osako’s intelligent movement, aerial threat, and ability to hold the ball up made him a superb addition to the Kobe squad, and his goalscoring exploits helped the club to a first ever J1 title in 2023 - he found the net 22 times to finish as joint top scorer in the 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, as well as being voted as Player of The Year.
A further 19 goals have been added over the past two seasons, and there are sure to be plenty more in the coming campaign as well.
Yuma Suzuki (Kashima Antlers, Japan)
Suzuki started as he meant to go on on his Kashima Antlers debut, scoring 16 minutes after coming on as a late substitute in a 2-1 defeat against Gamba Osaka on 12th September 2015.
The feisty youngster had already registered in the J.LEAGUE prior to that when he scored for the J.LEAGUE U-22 Selection in J3 in May of that year, and he has been a constant threat in the final third since.
After getting his name on the scoresheet 30 times in four seasons - including three goals for the U-22 Selection - Suzuki was tempted to Belgium in the summer of 2019, but after two and half years in Europe he decided to return to Kashima.
Once there he got straight back down to business, and after finding the net seven times in his first half-season back in Ibaraki, Suzuki has made it to double figures in each of the past three years.
With his never-say-die spirit, motivation to battle from the front, and desire to always find the quickest route to goal, Suzuki will without doubt be another leading striker in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE.
Rafael Elias (Kyoto Sanga F.C., Brazil)
Rafael Elias has been in absolutely clinical form in his first 43 games between J1 and the J.LEAGUE Cup, already finding the net a remarkable 30 times.
The Brazilian only made his debut for Kyoto Sanga F.C. on 14th July 2024, breaking his scoring duck six days later when he scored a late winner against Jubilo Iwata.
He ended the 2024 season with 11 goals in 15 appearances, in what proved to be a taster of things to come from the fox-in-the-box striker.
As Kyoto mounted a spirited title challenge in the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, Rafael Elias spearheaded their charge from the front, exhibiting his ruthlessness in and around the penalty area to deliver 18 goals from 27 league games.
The 26-year-old only needs half a sight of goal to punish opponents, and it goes without saying that he will again be among the leading contenders for the top scorer award in 2026.
Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan)
Hosoya has been a model of consistency in recent years, putting up impressive numbers to establish himself as a firm favourite at Kashiwa Reysol.
After making his debut as a 17-year-old in J2 in 2019, Hosoya took a couple of seasons to adjust to the J.LEAGUE before registering his first league goal two years later in J1.
He went on to score three times that year, adding another eight in the following campaign as he steadily started to showcase his ability to lead the line.
Blessed with terrific movement and a powerful strike, Hosoya then had his most productive season to date in 2023, finding the net 14 times.
The past two seasons have produced another 17 goals for the marksman, and with Kashiwa hoping to challenge for honours again in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE we can expect to see plenty more of Hosoya’s slick finishing in the coming months.
