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 8 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

34 players · ranked by best defendersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	T. Koga Centre-back	Kashiwa Reysol	27	69.2	69±0%	50±0%
2	H. Araki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	30	53.8	54±0%	35±0%
3	G. Shōji Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	33	46.8	47±0%	25±0%
4	R. Handa Full-back	Gamba Osaka	24	45.5	4666.1%	577%
5	D. Hall Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	27	38.4	3818.5%	39119.1%
6	Matheus Thuler Full-back	Vissel Kobe	27	35.3	35±0%	45±0%
7	S. Nakatani Full-back	Gamba Osaka	30	34.6	35±0%	34±0%
8	Y. Tatsuta Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	28	32.7	33±0%	38±0%
9	H. Sugai Centre-back	Shimizu S-pulse	27	32.1	32±0%	455.9%
10	Y. Miyamoto Centre-back	Urawa	26	29.4	29±0%	492%
11	K. Anzai Full-back	Kashima	31	27.4	2733.5%	2634.8%
12	H. Omori Centre-back	Fagiano Okayama	24	26.5	2717.3%	4973%
13	T. Deng Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	26.4	2627.5%	3123.9%
14	J. Quiñónes Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	29	22.4	22±0%	31±0%
15	R. Yamahara Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	27	22.4	22±0%	443.5%
16	Diego Full-back	Vissel Kobe	30	21.6	22±0%	281.4%
17	S. Hatanaka Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	31	20.9	21±0%	3212.2%
18	K. Matsubara Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	33	19.2	191.1%	1641.4%
19	R. Ogawa Full-back	Kashima	29	17.5	18±0%	31±0%
20	M. Yamane Full-back	Urawa	32	16.3	167.9%	161.3%
21	T. Oka Centre-back	FC Tokyo	25	15	15±0%	472.9%
22	M. Yuzawa Full-back	Avispa Fukuoka	32	13.3	1316.9%	1730%
23	T. Mase Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	28	12.8	13±0%	283.4%
24	K. Chida Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	31	12.4	1258.5%	1846.3%
25	S. Omori Full-back	Mito Hollyhock	27	12.2	12±0%	35±0%
26	D. Suzuki Centre-back	JEF United Chiba	36	11.6	1278.5%	1054%
27	S. Nagano Centre-back	FC Tokyo	20	10.4	10	27
28	T. Inoue Full-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	9.7	106.6%	4620.3%
29	Dion-Johan Cools Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	30	7.9	8±0%	24±0%
30	E. Gyotoku Centre-back	Nagoya Grampus	21	7.5	8	26
31	R. Inoue Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	29	6.6	7±0%	27±0%
32	Y. Matsunagane Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	22	6	6215.8%	3034%
33	Y. Ozaki Centre-back	Vissel Kobe	23	4.2	4600%	3816.2%
34	K. Suwama Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	23	3.9	4	44