Cerezo_Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
Association football club based in Osaka, Japan
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.
| Full name | Cerezo Osaka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sakura (cherry blossoms) | ||
| Founded | 1957; 67 years ago (1957) as Yanmar Diesel SC | ||
| Stadium | Yodoko Sakura Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 24,481 | ||
| Owner | Yanmar | ||
| Chairman | Hiroaki Morishima | ||
| Head coach | Akio Kogiku | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2023 | J1 League, 9th of 18 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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 Current season | |||
The club, originally called Yanmar Diesel, started in 1957 as the company team of Yanmar and was an original founder ("Original Eight"[lower-alpha 1]) 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.
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.
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]
Cerezo's biggest rival is fellow Osaka club Gamba Osaka. The matches played between Cerezo and Gamba are referred to as the Osaka derby.
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
| 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 |
   2024 - | ||||
| 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 |
   2024 - | |
| 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 |
| 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
League history
- 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
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 loan
- As of 6 January 2024.[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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As both Yanmar Diesel (1957–1993) and Cerezo Osaka (1993–present)
League
- Japan Soccer League (first tier)
- Japan Football League (second tier)
- Winners (1): 1994 (as the company team)
Cups
- JSL Cup/J.League Cup
- Emperor's Cup
- Japanese Super Cup
- Winners (1): 2018
- Queen's Cup
- Winners (1): 1976
- 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[lower-alpha 2] | 2–0[lower-alpha 2] | 1st | ||
 Kitchee |
2–1[lower-alpha 2] | 0–0[lower-alpha 2] | ||||
| Port |
1–1[lower-alpha 2] | 3–0[lower-alpha 2] | ||||
| 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.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Akio Kogiku |
| Assistant head coach | Daisuke Takahashi |
| First team coach |  Bruno Quadros Kota Fujimoto |
| Analytical coach | Yamato Saino |
| Goalkeeping coach | Nobuhiro Takeda |
| Physical coach | Sho Watanabe Atsuhiro Furuta |
| Performance coach | Yusuke Fukuhara |
| Physiotherapist | Atsushi Kitaura Akihiro Sasaki |
| Trainer | Koji Hanaki Haruki Wada |
| Interpreter | Jackson Yozen Tonaki Kento Koike Takanori Shirasawa |
| Chief manager | Atsushi Imanishi |
| Manager | Shoki Kokawa Lee Sung-in |
| Kitman | Tomoharu Nagahisa |
| 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 the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, a character named Teppei Kisugi becomes a professional football player and joins Cerezo Osaka.[citation needed]
- "Club Guide Profile". Archived from the original on 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
- "Cerezo Osaka Profile". Cerezo Osaka official website. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- Stadium Information, Link to stadiums.
- "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.
- "トップチーム選手" (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- "2024シーズン キャプテン、副キャプテンについて". www.cerezo.jp (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- "Club history". セレッソ大阪 沿革. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- Official website (in English)
- Official website (in Japanese)
