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Gamba Osaka
ガンバ大阪
Gamba Osaka logo.svg
Full name Gamba Osaka
Nickname(s) Nerazzurri (Black-and-Blues)
Founded 1980; 45 years ago (1980) as Matsushita Electric SC
Ground Panasonic Stadium Suita
Ground Capacity 39,694
Owner Panasonic (70%), The Kansai Electric Power Company (10%), Osaka Gas (10%), JR West (10%)
Chairman Takashi Yamauchi
Manager Dani Poyatos
League J1 League
2022 J1 League, 15th of 18

Gamba Osaka (ガンバ大阪, Ganba Ōsaka) is a professional football club from Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. Their home games are played at Panasonic Stadium Suita. Gamba Osaka has a big local rivalry with Cerezo Osaka, another team from the city of Osaka.

Gamba Osaka is one of Japan's most successful football clubs. They have won several major titles in Japan, including the J1 League. They also won the 2008 AFC Champions League, which is a huge competition for clubs in Asia.

What Does the Name Gamba Mean?

The club's name Gamba comes from the Japanese word ganbaru (頑張る). This word means "to do your best" or "to stand firm." It shows the team's spirit!

Club History and Achievements

Gamba Osaka started in 1980 as Matsushita Electric SC. It was founded by the company now known as Panasonic. The team joined the Japan Soccer League. In 1993, Gamba Osaka was one of the first ten teams to join the new J.League. Because of this, their name changed to Panasonic Gamba Osaka in 1992.

In 1996, the club removed "Panasonic" from its name. It became known simply as Gamba Osaka.

Big Wins and Records

In 2005, Gamba Osaka won its first J.League championship. It was a very exciting final day! Five different clubs could have won the title. Gamba Osaka needed to win their game and hope their rivals, Cerezo Osaka, would not win theirs. Gamba beat Kawasaki Frontale 4–2. At the same time, FC Tokyo scored a last-minute goal against Cerezo Osaka, helping Gamba win the championship!

In 2006, Gamba Osaka had a record-tying victory in the AFC Champions League. They beat Da Nang FC from Vietnam with an amazing score of 15–0.

In 2008, Gamba Osaka won the 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship. They beat the MLS club Houston Dynamo 6–1 in the final. A player named Bare scored four goals in that game!

Melbourne Victory v Gamba Osaka mar08
Gamba Osaka playing against Melbourne Victory in the 2008 AFC Champions League.

Becoming Asian Champions

In October 2008, Gamba Osaka reached the final of the AFC Champions League for the first time. They played against another Japanese team, Urawa Red Diamonds. After a 1–1 draw at home, Gamba made an amazing comeback in the second game. They were losing 1–0 at halftime but scored three goals in the second half to win 3–1.

Gamba Osaka then won the 2008 AFC Champions League title! They beat the Australian club Adelaide United with a total score of 5–0 over two games. This made them the fifth Japanese club to win Asia's top football title.

In December 2008, Gamba Osaka played in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. They reached the semi-finals by beating Adelaide United 1–0. They then played against Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and lost. Gamba Osaka finished in third place in the tournament, beating Mexican side Pachuca 1–0.

Yasuhito Endo - 2011
Yasuhito Endō is a legendary player for Gamba Osaka. He played in more J1 League games than anyone else, with 672 appearances.

Ups and Downs

In 2012, Gamba Osaka faced a tough time and was moved down from the top league (Division 1). Even though they scored many goals, their defense struggled. However, they quickly bounced back! In 2013, they won the J2 League championship and were promoted back to Division 1 after just one season.

In 2014, Gamba Osaka won the Division 1 title again. This was special because they had just been promoted the year before. That same year, they also won the J.League Cup and the Emperor's Cup. This meant they won three major domestic titles in one year, which is called a "treble"!

In 2015, Gamba Osaka returned to the 2015 AFC Champions League. They made it to the semi-finals but lost to Guangzhou Evergrande. In Japan, they reached the finals of the J.League Cup and the J1 League Championship but lost both. However, they successfully defended their title as Emperor's Cup winners, beating Urawa Red Diamonds.

In 2020, Gamba finished second in the J1 League. This allowed them to play in the 2021 AFC Champions League again. In July 2021, Gamba Osaka had their biggest win ever in the AFC Champions League, beating Tampines Rovers 8–1. A player named Shuhei Kawasaki scored three goals in that game!

Club Partnerships

  • Thailand Chonburi (2023–present)

In 2023, Gamba Osaka started a partnership with Chonburi, a club from Thailand. This partnership helps both teams by sharing players and coaching ideas. It helps players get experience and improves scouting for new talent.

In 2024, Gamba Osaka also partnered with AFC Ajax, a very famous club from the Netherlands. This partnership will last for at least three years. It helps Gamba Osaka learn from Ajax's well-known training methods for young players. It also helps Ajax find new talented players in Japan.

Team Kits and Colours

Kit Evolution Through the Years

FP 1st
1993–1994
1995–1996
1997–1998
1999–2000
2001–2002
2003–2004
2005–2006
2007–2008
2009–2010
2011–2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
FP 2nd
1993–1994
1995–1996
1997–1998
1999–2000
2001–2002
2003–2004
2005–2006
2007–2008
2009–2010
2011–2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 –
FP Other
2003 - 2004
3rd
2005 - 2006
3rd
2008 - 2009
ACL
2010 ACL
2011 3rd
2011 ACL
2011
20周年記念
2012
万博蹴結記念
2015 ACL
2016 ACL
2017 ACL
2017
GAMBA EXPO
2018
GAMBA EXPO
2019
GAMBA EXPO
2020
#ホームで勝とう
2021
ACL 1st
2021
ACL 2nd

Gamba Osaka's Home Stadium

SCFS-panorama
A panoramic view of Suita City Football Stadium.

From 1980 to 2015, Gamba Osaka played their home games at the Osaka Expo '70 Stadium. This stadium could hold about 21,000 fans.

In December 2013, the club started building a new stadium just for football. It's called Suita City Football Stadium and is in the same park. This new stadium can hold 39,694 people! The first official match there was on February 14, 2016. Gamba Osaka played against another J1 club, Nagoya Grampus.

Team Rivalries

Osaka Derby

Gamba Osaka has a very strong rivalry with their local team, Cerezo Osaka. When these two teams play, it's called the "Osaka derby." It's always a very exciting match!

They also have a big rivalry with Urawa Red Diamonds from Saitama. This is known as the "National Derby" in Japan.

Meet the Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Masaaki Higashiguchi
2 Japan DF Shota Fukuoka
3 Japan DF Riku Handa
4 Japan DF Keisuke Kurokawa
5 Japan DF Genta Miura
6 Israel MF Neta Lavi
7 Japan FW Takashi Usami (captain)
8 Japan FW Ryotaro Meshino
9 Japan MF Kota Yamada
10 Japan MF Shu Kurata
11 Tunisia FW Issam Jebali
13 Japan FW Isa Sakamoto
14 Japan MF Yuya Fukuda
15 Japan DF Takeru Kishimoto
16 Japan MF Tokuma Suzuki
17 Japan FW Ryoya Yamashita
20 Japan DF Shinnosuke Nakatani (vice-captain)
No. Position Player
22 Japan GK Jun Ichimori
23 Brazil MF Dawhan
24 Japan DF Yusei Egawa
25 Japan GK Kei Ishikawa
27 Japan MF Rin Mito
31 Japan GK Zhang Aolin
33 Japan DF Shinya Nakano
46 Japan DF Riku Matsuda
47 Brazil MF Juan Alano (vice-captain)
48 Japan MF Hideki Ishige
91 Japan FW Daichi Hayashi
97 Brazil FW Welton Felipe
Japan GK Rui Araki Type 2
Japan GK Joshua Sotaro Stayman Type 2
Japan MF Kanta Furukawa Type 2

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
19 Japan DF Ibuki Konno (on loan at Ehime FC)
40 Japan FW Shoji Toyama (on loan at Roasso Kumamoto)
41 Japan MF Jiro Nakamura (on loan at Matsumoto Yamaga)
Japan GK Kosei Tani (on loan at Machida Zelvia)
Japan MF Naohiro Sugiyama (on loan at JEF United Chiba)
No. Position Player
Japan MF Rihito Yamamoto (on loan at Belgium Sint-Truiden)
Japan FW Harumi Minamino (on loan at Tochigi SC)
Japan FW Musashi Suzuki (on loan at Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
Japan FW Ryuta Takahashi (on loan at Giravanz Kitakyushu)
Japan FW Hiroto Yamami (on loan at Tokyo Verdy)

Club Staff

Position Staff
Manager Spain Dani Poyatos
Assistant manager Spain Marcel Sans
First-team coach Japan Yasuhito Endo
Japan Shota Uemura
Japan Kazumichi Takagi
Goalkeeper coach Japan Motohiro Yoshida
Physical coach Japan Koichiro Yoshimichi
Analyst Japan Kento Nashimoto
Assistant coach and interpreter Japan Takanori Okai
Doctor Japan Yusuke Enomoto
Physiotherapist Japan Yuta Tanaka
Japan Yuki Nakamura
Trainer and physiotherapist Japan Ryosuke Kaji
Trainer Japan Satoshi Ikeguchi
Japan Shotaro Shinba
Interpreter Japan Masaki Kimura
Japan Kazushi Shimizu
Japan Yu Ono
Side manager and competent Japan Atsushi Hashimoto
Side manager and side affairs Japan Junji Yamashita
Japan Shunsuke Hitomi

Club Honours and Trophies

Gamba Osaka has won many important football titles throughout its history.

Gamba Osaka Honours
Honour Number of Wins Years Won
All Japan Senior Football Championship 1 1983
Japan Soccer League Division 2 1 1985/86
Emperor's Cup 5 1990, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015
J1 League 2 2005, 2014
J.League Cup 2 2007, 2014
Japanese Super Cup 2 2007, 2015
AFC Champions League 1 2008
Pan-Pacific Championship 1 2008
J2 League 1 2013

Manager History

Here are the managers who have led Gamba Osaka over the years:

Dates Name Honours Notes
1980–1991 Japan Yoji Mizuguchi Emperor's Cup: 1990
1991–1994 Japan Kunishige Kamamoto The competition formed as the J.League in 1993.
1995 Germany Sigfried Held
1995–1997 Croatia Josip Kuže
1997–1998 Austria Friedrich Koncilia
1998–1999 France Frédéric Antonetti J.League Division 2 was launched in 1999.
1999–2001 Japan Hiroshi Hayano
2001 Japan Kazuhiko Takemoto
2002–2012 Japan Akira Nishino J.League Division 1: 2005
J.League Cup: 2007
Emperor's Cup: 2008, 2009
AFC Champions League: 2008
J.League Manager of the Year: 2005
AFC Coach of the Year: 2008
2012 Brazil José Carlos Serrão
2012 Japan Masanobu Matsunami Gamba was relegated to the J.League Division 2 2013.
2013–2017 Japan Kenta Hasegawa J.League Division 2: 2013
J.League Division 1: 2014
J.League Cup: 2014
Emperor's Cup: 2014, 2015
J.League Manager of the Year: 2014		 Gamba was promoted to the J.League Division 1 2014.
J3 League was launched in 2014.
2018 Brazil Levir Culpi
2018–2021 Japan Tsuneyasu Miyamoto
2022 Japan Tomohiro Katanosaka
2022 Japan Hiroshi Matsuda
2023– Spain Dani Poyatos

Player Statistics

Top Scorers Each Season

Season Name Goals
1993 Japan Akihiro Nagashima 12
1994 Japan Toshihiro Yamaguchi 16
1995 Netherlands Hans Gillhaus 20
1996 Croatia Mladen Mladenović 11
1997 Cameroon Patrick M'Boma 25
1998 Japan Hiromi Kojima 17
1999 Japan Hiromi Kojima
Brazil Luizinho Vieira		 6
2000 Japan Hiromi Kojima 9
2001 Croatia Nino Bule 17
2002 Brazil Magrão 22
2003 Brazil Magrão 15
2004 Japan Masashi Oguro 20
2005 Brazil Araújo 33
2006 Brazil Magno Alves 26
2007 Brazil Baré 20
 
Season Name Goals
2008 Brazil Baré 10
2009 Brazil Leandro 11
2010 Japan Shoki Hirai 14
2011 South Korea Lee Keun-ho 15
2012 Brazil Leandro 14
2013 Japan Takashi Usami 19
2014 Japan Takashi Usami 10
2015 Japan Takashi Usami 19
2016 Japan Shun Nagasawa
Brazil Ademilson		 9
2017 Japan Shun Nagasawa 10
2018 South Korea Hwang Ui-Jo 16
2019 Brazil Ademilson 10
2020 Brazil Patric 11
2021 Brazil Patric 23
2022 Brazil Patric 10

Award-Winning Players

Many Gamba Osaka players have won special awards for their skills:

Domestic Awards (in Japan)

International Awards

Gamba Osaka Players at the World Cup

These players were chosen to play for their country in the FIFA World Cup while they were playing for Gamba Osaka:

Gamba Osaka Players at the Olympics

These players represented their country at the Summer Olympic Games while playing for Gamba Osaka:

Greatest Ever XI (Fan's Choice)

In 2011, fans voted for the best Gamba Osaka team of all time to celebrate the club's 20th anniversary. Here are the players they chose:

Japan Yōsuke Fujigaya (2005–2013, 2015–2017)
Japan Akira Kaji (2006–2014)
Brazil Sidiclei (2004–2007)
Japan Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (1995–2006)
Japan Satoshi Yamaguchi (2001–2011)
  • Midfielders
Japan Yasuhito Endō (2001–2021)
Japan Tomokazu Myojin (2006–2015)
Japan Hideo Hashimoto (1998–2011)
Japan Takahiro Futagawa (1999–2016)
Cameroon Patrick M'Boma (1997–1998)
Brazil Araújo (2005)

Gamba Osaka's League Record

This table shows how Gamba Osaka has performed in the J.League over the years.

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W(OTW/PKW) D L(OTL/PKL) F A GD Pts Attendance J.League Cup Emperor's Cup AFC CL FIFA CWC
1992 – – – – – – – – – – – – Group stage Quarter final – –
1993 J1 10 7th 36 16 – 20 51 65 −14 – 21,571 Semi-final 2nd round – –
1994 12 10th 44 15 – 29 66 82 −16 – 22,367 Semi-final Semi-final – –
1995 14 14th 52 18 – 31 (0/3) 87 107 −20 57 13,310 – Semi-final – –
1996 16 12th 30 11 – 19 38 59 21 33 8,004 Group stage Semi-final – –
1997 17 4th 32 18 (2/0) – 11 (1/0) 66 46 20 58 8,443 Group stage Semi-final – –
1998 18 15th 34 7 (4/1) 20 (1/1) 47 61 −14 30 8,723 Group stage 3rd round – –
1999 16 11th 30 9 (2) 1 16 (2) 36 46 −10 32 7,996 2nd round Round of 16 – –
2000 16 6th 30 13 (2) 2 10 (3) 47 43 4 45 9,794 2nd round Semi-final – –
2001 16 7th 30 12 (2) 2 10 (4) 50 48 2 42 11,723 2nd round Quarter final – –
2002 16 3rd 30 15 (4) 1 10 59 32 27 54 12,762 Semi-final Round of 16 – –
2003 16 10th 30 10 9 11 50 46 4 39 10,222 Quarter final Round of 16 – –
2004 16 3rd 30 15 6 9 69 48 21 51 12,517 Quarter final Semi-final – –
2005 18 1st 34 18 6 10 82 58 24 60 15,966 Runners-up Semi-final – –
2006 18 3rd 34 20 6 8 80 48 32 66 16,259 Quarter final Runners-up Group stage –
2007 18 3rd 34 19 10 5 71 37 34 67 17,439 Winners Semi-final – –
2008 18 8th 34 14 8 12 46 49 −3 50 16,128 Semi-final Winners Winners 3rd Place
2009 18 3rd 34 18 6 10 62 44 18 60 17,712 Quarter final Winners Round of 16 –
2010 18 2nd 34 18 8 8 65 44 21 62 16,654 Quarter final Semi-final Round of 16 –
2011 18 3rd 34 21 7 6 78 51 27 70 16,411 Semi-final 3rd round Round of 16 –
2012 18 17th 34 9 11 14 67 65 2 38 14,778 Quarter final Runners-up Group stage –
2013 J2 22 1st 42 25 12 5 99 46 53 87 12,286 Not eligible 3rd round – –
2014 J1 18 1st 34 19 6 9 59 31 28 63 14,749 Winners Winners – –
2015 18 2nd 34 18 9 7 56 37 19 63 15,999 Runners-up Winners Semi-final –
2016 18 4th 34 17 7 10 53 42 11 58 25,342 Runners-up Quarter final Group stage –
2017 18 10th 34 11 10 13 48 41 7 43 24,277 Semi-final Quarter final Group stage –
2018 18 9th 34 14 6 14 41 46 −5 48 23,485 Quarter final 2nd round – –
2019 18 7th 34 12 11 11 54 48 6 47 27,708 Semi-final 3rd round – –
2020 † 18 2nd 34 20 5 9 46 42 4 65 7,597 Group stage Runners-up – –
2021 20 13th 38 12 8 18 33 49 −16 44 5,345 Group stage Quarter final Group stage –
2022 18 15th 34 9 10 15 33 44 −11 37 17,669 Group stage Round of 16 – –
2023 18 16th 34 9 7 18 38 61 −23 34 23,273 Quarter-finals 2nd round – –
2024 20 TBA 38 2nd Round Finalist - –
;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 = Average home league attendance per game
  • † 2020 season attendance was lower due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.
  • Source: J. League Data Site

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gamba Osaka para niños

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