Best Defensive players by Season Rating in J1 League 2027

The best defensive players in J1 League in 2027, ranked on Field Insider.

Best defensive goalkeepers in J1 League Best defensive defenders in J1 League Best defensive midfielders in J1 League Best defensive attackers in J1 League Best players in J1 League Most in-form players in J1 League

At a glance

A. Suzuki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima is the standout for raw talent across players in J1 League, with a Field Insider Rating of 59.7, and R. Kojima has been the form player this season, grading 71.6, and Léo Ceará leads the scoring with 10 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: R. Kojima has improved his Season rating most, up +58 on last season, while A. Suzuki's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +5.7 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, Y. Yamada of Kashiwa Reysol is the most valuable name in this group at 22.2.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

R. Kojima+58SsN

Kashiwa Reysol · 24/25→25/26

48 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	T. Koga Centre-back	Kashiwa Reysol	27	69.2	69±0%	50±0%
2	H. Taniguchi Centre-back	Kawasaki Frontale	26	56.6	57±0%	515.2%
3	H. Araki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	30	53.8	54±0%	35±0%
4	S. Sasaki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	36	50.6	51±0%	22±0%
5	N. Ueda Full-back	Kashima	31	50.1	50±0%	34±0%
6	G. Shōji Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	33	46.8	47±0%	25±0%
7	R. Handa Full-back	Gamba Osaka	24	45.5	4666.1%	577%
8	T. Yamakawa Full-back	Vissel Kobe	28	44.8	45±0%	44±0%
9	D. Hall Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	27	38.4	3818.5%	39119.1%
10	Matheus Thuler Full-back	Vissel Kobe	27	35.3	35±0%	45±0%
11	S. Nakatani Full-back	Gamba Osaka	30	34.6	35±0%	34±0%
12	Y. Tatsuta Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	28	32.7	33±0%	38±0%
13	Y. Suzuki Centre-back	Kyoto Sanga	34	32.3	32±0%	2411.1%
14	H. Sugai Centre-back	Shimizu S-pulse	27	32.1	32±0%	455.9%
15	Y. Miyamoto Centre-back	Urawa	26	29.4	29±0%	492%
16	K. Sato Full-back	Kyoto Sanga	26	28.6	29±0%	47±0%
17	K. Anzai Full-back	Kashima	31	27.4	2733.5%	2634.8%
18	H. Omori Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	24	26.5	2717.3%	4973%
19	T. Deng Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	26.4	2627.5%	3123.9%
20	J. Quiñónes Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	22.4	22±0%	31±0%
21	R. Yamahara Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	27	22.4	22±0%	443.5%
22	Diego Full-back	Vissel Kobe	31	21.6	22±0%	281.4%
23	S. Hatanaka Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	31	20.9	21±0%	3212.2%
24	A. Scholz Centre-back	FC Tokyo	33	20.3	20±0%	16±0%
25	K. Matsubara Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	33	19.2	191.1%	1641.4%
26	D. Sugioka Full-back	Kashiwa Reysol	28	18.3	18±0%	4012.4%
27	R. Ogawa Full-back	Kashima	29	17.5	18±0%	31±0%
28	S. Muroya Full-back	FC Tokyo	32	16.7	17±0%	19±0%
29	M. Yamane Full-back	Urawa	32	16.3	1612.4%	160.6%
30	T. Oka Centre-back	FC Tokyo	25	15	15±0%	472.9%
31	T. Mase Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	28	12.8	13±0%	283.4%
32	K. Chida Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	31	12.4	1258.5%	1846.3%
33	S. Omori Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	27	12.2	12±0%	35±0%
34	D. Suzuki Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	36	11.6	1278.5%	1054%
35	S. Nagano Centre-back	FC Tokyo	20	10.4	10	27
36	T. Inoue Full-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	9.7	106.6%	4620.3%
37	Pedro Romano Centre-back	Kawasaki Frontale	25	8.6	9	47
38	H. Fujii Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	25	8.2	8±0%	43±0%
39	Y. Kimoto Centre-back	Mito Hollyhock	33	7.9	87.1%	915.3%
40	Dion-Johan Cools Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	30	7.9	8±0%	24±0%
41	E. Gyotoku Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	21	7.5	8	26
42	R. Inoue Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	29	6.6	7±0%	27±0%
43	Y. Matsunagane Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	22	6	6215.8%	3034%
44	Y. Ozaki Centre-back	Vissel Kobe	23	4.2	4600%	3816.2%
45	K. Suwama Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	3.9	4	44
46	K. Suzuki Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	24	2.9	3±0%	422.2%
47	R. Hatsuse Full-back	Gamba Osaka	29	2.6	3±0%	27±0%
48	Y. Suzuki Full-back	Fagiano Okayama	28	0	0	27