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.
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| Full name | Cerezo Osaka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sakura (cherry blossoms) | ||
| Founded | 1957 as Yanmar Diesel SC | ||
| Stadium | Yodoko Sakura Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 24,481 | ||
| Owner | Yanmar | ||
| Chairman | Hiroaki Morishima | ||
| Head coach | Akio Kogiku | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 5th of 18 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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HistoryEdit
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.
In 1993, the club incorporated as Osaka Football Club Co., Ltd. and adopted the name Cerezo after a public contest.[2] In 1994, they won the JFL 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 relegated from J1 to J2 three times, but are currently playing in the J1 league. The club had an impressive third-place finish in the 2017 season.
On 4 November 2017 they won the J.League YBC Levain Cup, the first major title for Cerezo Osaka. The final match was against Kawasaki Frontale.
On 1 January 2018, Cerezo Osaka won the Emperor's Cup, securing their second major title. The final match was against Yokohama F. Marinos.
On 10 February 2018, they won the Xerox Super Cup, playing 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 player Pieros Sotiriou scored two goals in the 96th and 101st minutes of the match to give the Violas the J.League Cup.
StadiumsEdit
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.
MascotsEdit
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]
RivalriesEdit
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 coloursEdit
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 makersEdit
| 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 | - | |||||||
Kit evolutionEdit
| Home Kits - 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          1994 - 1996 |
    1997 - 1998 |
     1999 - 2003 |
     2004 - 2005 |
     2006 - 2007 |
     2008 - 2009 |
     2010 |
    2011 |
    2012 |
    2013 |
    2014 |
     2015 |
     2016 |
     2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
     2021 |
    2022 |
    2023 - |
| Away Kits - 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
     1994 - 1996 |
    1997 - 1998 |
     1999 - 2002 |
     2003 - 2004 |
     2005 |
     2006 |
     2007 |
     2008 |
    2009 |
    2010 |
    2011 |
     2012 |
    2013 |
    2014 |
     2015 |
     2016 |
     2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
     2021 |
   2022 |
    2023 - | ||
| Special Kits - 3rd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    2010 88 Memorial |
    2011 Eight Summer |
   2013 Yanmar Premium Cup |
    2014 20th Anniversary |
     2015 Kincho Stadium 5th Anniversary |
    2016 Summer |
     2017 Summer |
   2018 ACL |
    2018 Limited |
   2019 25th Anniversary |
 2020 Limited |
   2021 ACL 1st |
   2021 ACL 2nd |
   2021 Limited |
   2022 Limited |
League and cup recordEdit
| 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 | 4th round | ||
| 1997 | 17 | 11th | 32 | 13(1/2) | - | 10(5/1) | 53 | 56 | -3 | 43 | 9,153 | Group stage | 4th round | ||
| 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 | 4th round | ||
| 2000 | 16 | 5th | 30 | 14(3/0) | - | 11(2/0) | 54 | 49 | 5 | 48 | 13,548 | 2nd round | Quarter final | ||
| 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 | 4th round | |
| 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 final | Semi-final | ||
| 2006 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 44 | 70 | -26 | 27 | 13,026 | Quarter final | 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 | 4th round | |
| 2011 | 18 | 12th | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 67 | 53 | 14 | 43 | 14,145 | Quarter final | Semi-final | Quarter final | |
| 2012 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 53 | -6 | 42 | 16,815 | Quarter final | Quarter final | – | |
| 2013 | 18 | 4th | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 53 | 32 | 21 | 59 | 18,819 | Quarter final | 4th round | ||
| 2014 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 36 | 48 | -12 | 31 | 21,627 | Quarter final | Quarter final | 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 | 4th round | Group stage | |
| 2019 | 18 | 5th | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 29 | 14 | 59 | 21,518 | Play-offs | 4th round | – | |
| 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 | TBA | 34 | ||||||||||||
- 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 by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
- Source: J.League Data Site
League historyEdit
- Japan Soccer League Division 1: 1965–1990 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Japan Soccer League Division 2: 1991 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Japan Football League Division 1: 1992–94 (as Yanmar Diesel until 1993; Cerezo Osaka since 1994)
- J1 League: 1995–2001
- J2 League: 2002
- J1 League: 2003–2006
- J2 League: 2007–2009
- J1 League: 2010–2014
- J2 League: 2015–2016
- J1 League: 2017–present
Current squadEdit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loanEdit
- As of 8 January 2023.[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad (U-18s)Edit
- As of 6 September 2022 [9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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HonoursEdit
As both Yanmar Diesel (1957–1993) and Cerezo Osaka (1993–present)
LeagueEdit
- Winners (1): 1994 (as the company team)
CupsEdit
- Winners (1): 2018
- Winners (1): 1976
Continental recordEdit
- As of 24 June 2021
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | AFC Champions League | Group G |  Arema FC Malang
|
2–1 | 4–0 | 2nd |
 Shandong Luneng Taishan
|
4–0 | 0–2 | ||||
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
|
1–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 |  Gamba Osaka
|
1–0 | ||||
| Quarter-finals | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
|
4–3 | 1–6 | 5–9 | ||
| 2014 | Group F | Pohang Steelers
|
0–2 | 1–1 | 2nd | |
| Shandong Taishan
|
1–3 | 2–1 | ||||
 Buriram United
|
4–0 | 2–2 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Guangzhou
|
1–5 | 1–0 | 2–5 | ||
| 2018 | Group G | Jeju United
|
2–1 | 1–0 | 3rd | |
| Guangzhou
|
0–0 | 1–3 | ||||
| Buriram United
|
2–2 | 0–2 | ||||
| 2021 | Play-off round |  Melbourne City
|
Cancelled | |||
| Group J | Guangzhou
|
5–0[b] | 2–0[b] | 1st | ||
 Kitchee
|
2–1[b] | 0–0[b] | ||||
| Port
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1–1[b] | 3–0[b] | ||||
| Round of 16 | Pohang Steelers
|
0–1 | ||||
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f Played at a neutral venue.
Club officialsEdit
For the 2023 season.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Akio Kogiku
|
| Assistant head coach | Daisuke Takahashi  Bruno Quadros
|
| First team coach | Mitsumasa Kosugi Kota Fujimoto
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Nobuhiro Takeda
|
| Physical coach | Sho Watanabe
|
| Assistant physical coach | Atsuhiro Furuta
|
| Trainer | Koji Hanaki
|
| Physiotherapist | Atsushi Kitaura Akihiro Sasaki
|
| Interpreter | Tonaki Yozen Jackson Kento Koike Takanori Shirasawa
|
| Chief manager | Atsushi Imanishi
|
| Manager | Taiki Yamaguchi Takuya Fukasawa
|
| Kitman | Tomoharu Nagahisa
|
Manager historyEdit
| 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 | present |
In popular cultureEdit
In the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, a character named Teppei Kisugi becomes a professional football player and joins Cerezo Osaka.[citation needed]
Former playersEdit
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Club Guide Profile
- ^ "Cerezo Osaka Profile". Cerezo Osaka official website. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ Stadium Information, Link to stadiums.
- ^ セレッソ大阪とは (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "ローランド、セレッソ大阪「公認セレ男」に就任！！".
- ^ a b "トップチーム選手" (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "2023シーズン トップチーム新体制、及び選手背番号について" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "セレッソ大阪 日程" (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "PLAYER" (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Club history". セレッソ大阪 沿革. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
External linksEdit
- Cerezo Osaka official website
- Cerezo Osaka official website (in Japanese)
