Kakeru Funaki

Funaki's current-season form is down 69% on last season (Season 26→8), while his Rating eased 48→32. His peak season for form remains 2024/25 (Season 26).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2025/26	Cerezo Osaka · 10th	15	0	0	6.51	32	8
2024/25	Cerezo Osaka · 10th	30	1	0	6.79	48	26
2023/24	Cerezo Osaka · 9th	23	0	1	6.79	48	18
2022/23	Cerezo Osaka · 5th	14	2	0	6.92	48	9
2021/22	Sagamihara	17	0	0	—	—	—

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 4 earlier seasons and 2 youth-team spells in the full career.

Japan · international

Side	Apps	G
Japan U22	3	0
Japan U20	2	0

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Project playerCentral defender

K. Funaki is a 28-year-old central defender at Albirex Niigata, rated 36.8 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 26th of 215 on scout potential in the J2 League. An experienced operator, he has been a regular starter this season (60.8% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 2.51 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Funaki.

Judged on this season alone, Funaki graded 15 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 37th of 73 of the 73 centre-backs in the J2 League, on 2 clean sheets and 2.51 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 26 → 8). Over the 4 seasons on record his form has held fairly steady, peaking in 2024/25.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 37, top 13% of the 73 centre-backs in the J2 League. At 28 Funaki is in his prime years, and a market index of 4 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Past his 2024/25 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.

Peak: 2024/25Trending down

Current potentialTop 13% centre-backs · J2 League Current season37th of 73 centre-backs · J2 League 37th-best centre-back in the J2 League 26th in the J2 League · potential 9th-highest potential centre-back in the J2 League

36.8

Ratingi

9th of 73 centre-backs

15.1

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

60.8%

Minutes

a regular starter

2.51

Def. actions / 90

moderate defensive volume

Output in context · Albirex Niigata finished 3rd of 20 · an upper-table side

Apps

2.51

Def. / 90

Tackles

Interceptions

Clean sheets

2.51 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — moderate defensive volume, with 2 clean sheets across 15 appearances. Behind an upper-table side (3rd of 20) the side controls more games, so the defensive load is lighter — the value sits as much in composure and ball progression as in raw volume.

Strengths

Availability. On the pitch for 60.8% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.

Watch points

Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.

Outlook

With a Rating of 36.8, Funaki carries the 9th-highest potential of the centre-backs in the J2 League (top 13%). Defensively he reads as moderate defensive volume (2.51 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Experienced and reliable, but the value curve is easing (1.2× now → 0.9× projected in three years).

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %60.8%

Available fixtures15 of 11

Goals / 900

Assists / 900

Goal contribution / 900

Defensive actions / 902.51

Player flow

Goal involvements0

Shot conversion %0

Shot accuracy %33.3

Cards / 900.087

Foul involvement / 900.865

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~7), then tapers with age. At 28, Funaki sits on 4, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Funaki's projected Rating — 36.8 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among centre-backs in the J2 League with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals0

Shots on target1

Shots3

Passing

Assists0

Chances created3

Passes640

Possession

Duels won35

Duels won %52.2%

Fouls won5

Defending

Tackles8

Interceptions10

Blocks11

Fouls committed5

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards1

Red cards0

Transfer history

Albirex NiigataJul 2025 – now

Cerezo Osaka(back from loan)Jan 2022 – Jul 2025

Sagamihara(on loan)Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

Jubilo Iwata(on loan)Jan 2020 – Jan 2021

Cerezo Osakauntil Jan 2020

About K. Funaki

Kakeru Funaki is a 28-year-old centre-back who plays for Albirex Niigata, born on April 13, 1998 in Nara, standing 177 cm tall. He is from Japan. Albirex Niigata currently sit 3rd of 20 in the J2 League.

This season

In the current season, K. Funaki has made 15 appearances with 0 goals and 0 assists across 1,040 minutes, with 1 yellow card.

K. Funaki's next match is on October 31, 2026, when Albirex Niigata face Kataller Toyama at home in the J2 League.

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates K. Funaki at 36.8 with a Season form score of 15.1, ranking 26th of 215 centre-backs in the J2 League. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

His honours include 6 career titles — among them the Super Cup and the Emperor Cup. Full list in the career record.

Career

Across 9 recorded seasons, K. Funaki has totalled 165 club appearances with 6 goals and 1 assist for 4 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2018/19, with 30 appearances for Cerezo Osaka U23.

K. Funaki's career has also included time at Cerezo Osaka, Sagamihara and Jubilo Iwata.

On the international stage, K. Funaki has represented Japan U22 and Japan U20 — 5 caps in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.

Profile

Season stats

Also this season

Career

Scout report

Output in context · Albirex Niigata finished 3rd of 20 · an upper-table side

Strengths

Watch points