Football club and player rankings
The best clubs and players in world football, ranked every nightOur own rankings, over the last twelve months of club football. Every result in 131,441 matches, weighed by who it came against and where. The top 50 of each, free to read; every ranked club and player by API.
The best defenders in Japan
Ranked over the twelve months to 29 October 2026. Narrow it to a country and it shows that country's best, with each player's place in the world beside it.
| 1 | new | MT Matheus ThulerVissel Kobe · JPN · 1,545 in the world | DEF | 3,216 | 4 | 2 | 44.3 | Open |
| 2 | new | AS A. ScholzFC Tokyo · JPN · 1,858 in the world | DEF | 2,776 | 3 | 1 | 42.7 | Open |
| 3 | new | HF H. FujiiNagoya Grampus · JPN · 2,028 in the world | DEF | 2,742 | 1 | 2 | 41.9 | Open |
| 4 | new | TA T. AkimotoMachida Zelvia · JPN · 2,095 in the world | DEF | 2,517 | 2 | 2 | 41.6 | Open |
| 5 | new | D DiegoVissel Kobe · JPN · 2,205 in the world | DEF | 2,329 | 2 | 1 | 41.1 | Open |
| 6 | new | KN K. NagatoVissel Kobe · JPN · 2,212 in the world | DEF | 3,114 | 5 | 3 | 41.1 | Open |
| 7 | new | GS G. SakaiVissel Kobe · JPN · 2,335 in the world | DEF | 2,482 | 3 | 3 | 40.5 | Open |
| 8 | new | KN Kimito NonoKashima · JPN · 2,587 in the world | DEF | 1,866 | 2 | 1 | 39.5 | Open |
| 9 | new | GM Genta MiuraGamba Osaka · JPN · 2,650 in the world | DEF | 2,054 | 2 | 2 | 39.3 | Open |
| 10 | new | SS S. SasakiSanfrecce Hiroshima · JPN · 2,884 in the world | DEF | 2,256 | 0 | 0 | 38.4 | Open |
| 11 | new | GS G. ShōjiMachida Zelvia · JPN · 3,132 in the world | DEF | 3,370 | 2 | 2 | 37.6 | Open |
| 12 | new | HA H. ArakiSanfrecce Hiroshima · JPN · 3,134 in the world | DEF | 2,524 | 2 | 0 | 37.6 | Open |
| 13 | new | HM H. MochizukiMachida Zelvia · JPN · 3,154 in the world | DEF | 1,714 | 4 | 1 | 37.5 | Open |
| 14 | new | HT Henrique TrevisanKyoto Sanga · JPN · 3,286 in the world | DEF | 1,215 | 2 | 2 | 37.0 | Open |
| 15 | new | NU N. UedaKashima · JPN · 3,401 in the world | DEF | 3,208 | 2 | 2 | 36.7 | Open |
| 16 | new | ST Shiotani TsukasaSanfrecce Hiroshima · JPN · 3,407 in the world | DEF | 2,120 | 1 | 2 | 36.7 | Open |
| 17 | new | HI H. InamuraFC Tokyo · JPN · 3,901 in the world | DEF | 2,252 | 0 | 0 | 35.1 | Open |
| 18 | new | KH Kento HashimotoFC Tokyo · JPN · 4,276 in the world | DEF | 1,505 | 0 | 2 | 34.1 | Open |
| 19 | new | RI R. InoueCerezo Osaka · JPN · 4,394 in the world | DEF | 2,540 | 2 | 1 | 33.7 | Open |
| 20 | new | SM Sei MuroyaFC Tokyo · JPN · 4,616 in the world | DEF | 2,586 | 4 | 2 | 33.2 | Open |
| 21 | new | DJ Dion-Johan CoolsCerezo Osaka · JPN · 4,726 in the world | DEF | 2,447 | 1 | 2 | 32.9 | Open |
| 22 | new | JQ J. QuiñónesYokohama F. Marinos · JPN · 4,735 in the world | DEF | 2,595 | 2 | 0 | 32.9 | Open |
| 23 | new | HI H. IshiharaFC Tokyo · JPN · 4,776 in the world | DEF | 1,668 | 0 | 3 | 32.8 | Open |
| 24 | new | RT R. TsunodaYokohama F. Marinos · JPN · 4,914 in the world | DEF | 1,897 | 0 | 1 | 32.5 | Open |
| 25 | new | KN K. NemotoUrawa · JPN · 4,964 in the world | DEF | 2,610 | 5 | 1 | 32.3 | Open |
| 26 | new | DO D. OkamuraMachida Zelvia · JPN · 5,187 in the world | DEF | 3,082 | 1 | 1 | 31.8 | Open |
| 27 | new | HO H. OmoriFagiano Okayama · JPN · 5,302 in the world | DEF | 1,954 | 1 | 0 | 31.5 | Open |
| 28 | new | ID I. DreševićMachida Zelvia · JPN · 5,313 in the world | DEF | 1,654 | 1 | 1 | 31.5 | Open |
| 29 | new | TY T. YamakawaVissel Kobe · JPN · 5,411 in the world | DEF | 2,897 | 1 | 1 | 31.3 | Open |
| 30 | new | TK T. KogaKashiwa Reysol · JPN · 5,605 in the world | DEF | 3,285 | 1 | 0 | 30.8 | Open |
| 31 | new | TK T. KishimotoGamba Osaka · JPN · 5,871 in the world | DEF | 2,062 | 1 | 3 | 30.1 | Open |
| 32 | new | YS Y. SuzukiFagiano Okayama · JPN · 5,916 in the world | DEF | 1,621 | 2 | 1 | 30.0 | Open |
| 33 | new | RH R. HiroseKashima · JPN · 5,976 in the world | DEF | 2,054 | 0 | 2 | 29.9 | Open |
| 34 | new | SF S. FukuokaGamba Osaka · JPN · 5,989 in the world | DEF | 1,245 | 1 | 0 | 29.9 | Open |
| 35 | new | KT Kim Tae-HyeonKashima · JPN · 6,093 in the world | DEF | 2,301 | 1 | 1 | 29.6 | Open |
| 36 | new | RO R. OgawaKashima · JPN · 6,095 in the world | DEF | 1,817 | 0 | 5 | 29.6 | Open |
| 37 | new | IS I. SekigawaKashima · JPN · 6,211 in the world | DEF | 1,088 | 0 | 0 | 29.4 | Open |
| 38 | new | TI T. InoueYokohama F. Marinos · JPN · 6,223 in the world | DEF | 2,202 | 3 | 2 | 29.3 | Open |
| 39 | new | SH S. HatanakaCerezo Osaka · JPN · 6,296 in the world | DEF | 2,346 | 0 | 0 | 29.2 | Open |
| 40 | new | HO H. OnagaV-varen Nagasaki · JPN · 6,657 in the world | DEF | 2,330 | 1 | 1 | 28.4 | Open |
| 41 | new | JH Javi HernándezCerezo Osaka · JPN · 6,687 in the world | DEF | 1,193 | 2 | 0 | 28.4 | Open |
| 42 | new | PR Pedro RomanoKawasaki Frontale · JPN · 6,713 in the world | DEF | 1,376 | 2 | 0 | 28.3 | Open |
| 43 | new | YT Y. TatsutaFagiano Okayama · JPN · 7,006 in the world | DEF | 2,989 | 0 | 2 | 27.7 | Open |
| 44 | new | C CaetanoVissel Kobe · JPN · 7,051 in the world | DEF | 1,395 | 0 | 0 | 27.6 | Open |
| 45 | new | DT D. TagamiFagiano Okayama · JPN · 7,204 in the world | DEF | 1,103 | 1 | 0 | 27.3 | Open |
| 46 | new | WH W. HaradaKashiwa Reysol · JPN · 7,251 in the world | DEF | 1,969 | 0 | 1 | 27.2 | Open |
| 47 | new | SM S. MizoguchiTokyo Verdy · JPN · 7,395 in the world | DEF | 1,420 | 1 | 3 | 26.9 | Open |
| 48 | new | RH R. HatsuseGamba Osaka · JPN · 7,477 in the world | DEF | 2,540 | 0 | 5 | 26.8 | Open |
| 49 | new | MB Mateus BrunettiShimizu S-pulse · JPN · 7,880 in the world | DEF | 1,688 | 0 | 0 | 25.9 | Open |
| 50 | new | DB Danilo BozaUrawa · JPN · 8,106 in the world | DEF | 1,447 | 1 | 0 | 25.4 | Open |
Four things decide a place
Our method is our own and we keep the detail to ourselves. This is what goes into it, in plain words.
Results
Every win, draw and defeat, and by how much. A club is judged on what it did, not on its name or its wage bill.
Who it came against
Beating a strong side counts for more than beating a weak one, and the level of the competition counts too, so a European night weighs what it should.
How recent
Twelve months, rolling, with the latest matches counting for the most. Last spring still matters; last week matters more.
For players, the minutes
What a player did with his time on the pitch, judged against others in the same role, at the level he did it, and how his side fared while he played.
The same rankings, one call away
Four endpoints on the Live & Archive plan. Pick one to see the call and what it answers tonight.
Put the rankings in your own product
Every ranked club and player, by country, competition, club or role, with a history you can chart. Rebuilt every night before you wake up.