Vissel Kobe facts for kids

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Vissel Kobe
ヴィッセル神戸

Full name

Vissel Kobe

Nickname(s)

Ushi (cows)

Founded

1966; 59 years ago (as Kawasaki Steel SS)

Stadium

Noevir Stadium Kobe
Hyōgo-ku, Kōbe, Hyōgo

Stadium
capacity

30,134

Owner

Rakuten

Chairman

Yuki Chifu

Manager

Takayuki Yoshida

League

J1 League

2022

J1 League, 13th of 18

Home colours

Away colours

Noevir Stadium, the home of Vissel Kobe

Vissel Kobe (ヴィッセル神戸, Visseru Kōbe) is a professional football team from Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. Vissel Kobe is currently the champion of the J1 League, having won in both 2023 and 2024. Their main home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe. Sometimes, they also play home games at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium.

Team History: How Vissel Kobe Started
Team Partnerships
Home Stadium
Current Players
- Players on Loan
Club Officials
League Journey of Vissel Kobe
Vissel Kobe's Achievements
Playing in Asia: Continental Record
Images for kids
See also

Team History: How Vissel Kobe Started

Early Days as Kawasaki Steel Soccer Club

The club began in 1966 as the Kawasaki Steel Soccer Club. It was a semi-professional team based in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. In 1986, they moved up to the Japan Soccer League Division 2. They stayed in this league until it changed in 1992.

Moving to Kobe and Becoming Professional

In 1995, the city of Kobe made a deal with Kawasaki Steel. The club moved to Kobe and changed its name to Vissel Kobe. The name Vissel combines "victory" and "vessel." This name honors Kobe's history as an important port city.

Vissel Kobe started playing in the Japan Football League in 1994. This league was just below the main J.League. A large supermarket chain, Daiei, was supposed to be the main investor. However, a big earthquake hit Kobe in 1995. This caused money problems, and Daiei had to stop supporting the team. The city of Kobe then took over running the club.

Even though they finished second in their league in 1996, Vissel Kobe was promoted to the J.League in 1997. The team that finished first, Honda FC, chose not to become a professional club. Vissel Kobe started playing in Japan's top football division. But because of money problems and not finding enough sponsors, the club struggled. In 2003, they had to file for bankruptcy.

The Crimson Group Era (2004–2014)

In 2004, the Crimson Group bought Vissel Kobe. This group also owns the online shopping company Rakuten. The president of Rakuten, Hiroshi Mikitani, is from Kobe.

When Mikitani bought the team, he changed their uniform colors. They used to wear black and white stripes. He changed them to crimson, which is the color of his company and his old university. This change made some fans unhappy at first.

Vissel Kobe finished 11th in 2004. In 2005, they finished last and were moved down to J2, the second division. This was their first time in J2 after nine years in the top league. In 2006, they finished 3rd in J2. They then won a play-off game against Avispa Fukuoka and returned to J1.

From 2007 to 2011, Vissel Kobe usually finished in the bottom half of the J1 league. In 2012, they finished 16th and were moved down to J2 again. But in 2013, they finished second in J2. This earned them a spot back in J1 for the 2014 season. In December 2014, Rakuten Inc. officially bought the team from the Crimson Group.

Rakuten Takes Over and First Big Wins (2015–Present)

Spanish midfielder Andrés Iniesta playing for Vissel Kobe in 2018

German striker Lukas Podolski playing for Vissel Kobe in 2020

In 2017, Vissel Kobe signed Lukas Podolski, a famous German player who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was the first big international player for Vissel since Michael Laudrup in 1996. Soon after, in May 2018, they signed another World Cup winner, Andrés Iniesta, from FC Barcelona. In December 2018, David Villa, a Spanish striker, also joined the team. He scored 13 goals in 28 games. With Iniesta, Villa, and Sergi Samper, Vissel Kobe had three Spanish players. They helped the team win its first major title, the 2019 Emperor's Cup.

On January 1, 2020, Vissel Kobe played in the 2019 Emperor's Cup final for the first time. They beat Kashima Antlers at the new National Stadium in Tokyo. This was the club's first-ever major trophy! It was also David Villa's last professional game. Winning the Emperor's Cup meant Vissel Kobe also got to play in the 2020 AFC Champions League for the first time.

On February 8, 2020, Vissel Kobe won their first Japanese Super Cup title. They beat Yokohama F. Marinos 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 3-3. This was their second national title. A few days later, on February 12, 2020, Vissel played their first AFC Champions League match. They won 5-1 against Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia. The team had a great run in the competition, reaching the semi-finals. They lost 2-1 in extra time to the eventual winners, Ulsan Hyundai from Korea.

In 2021, Vissel Kobe finished third in the league, which was their best finish ever. This allowed them to play in the 2022 AFC Champions League again. They had another good run, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from Korea.

On September 3, 2023, Vissel signed Juan Mata, another former Spanish international midfielder. While he was a great presence for the team and fans loved him, injuries kept him from playing much. On November 25, 2023, Vissel Kobe became the 2023 J1 League champions for the first time in their history! They won after beating Nagoya Grampus 2-1. This made Kobe the first Japanese football champion to have been promoted from the third division before winning the top title.

On February 17, 2024, Vissel played in their second Japanese Super Cup but lost 1-0 to Kawasaki Frontale. Vissel also qualified directly for the new 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite tournament. On November 23, 2024, Vissel won their second Emperor's Cup by beating their local rivals Gamba Osaka in the Kansai Derby.

Team Partnerships

Vissel Kobe has partnerships with other football clubs around the world. These partnerships help with player development and sharing ideas.

Aston Villa: Since 2023, Vissel Kobe has partnered with this English Premier League club. They work together to help young players grow and to share coaching methods. The goal is to help talented Japanese players play in Europe, possibly even for Aston Villa.
Górnik Zabrze: Since December 2024, Vissel Kobe has an agreement with this Polish club. They aim to create a path for players between Asia and Europe. This helps both teams grow in sports and find new talent.
Seattle Sounders: Vissel Kobe first partnered with the Seattle Sounders in 1995. This was because Kobe and Seattle are sister cities. They played friendly games to raise money after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. This partnership started again in 2025, on its 30th anniversary. It began with a Vissel Kobe player, Kaito Yamada, joining Seattle's reserve team.

Home Stadium

Since 2003, Vissel Kobe's main home stadium has been Noevir Stadium Kobe. It can hold 30,132 fans.

Current Players

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Daiya Maekawa
2	MF	Nanasei Iino
3	DF	Matheus Thuler
4	DF	Tetsushi Yamakawa (captain)
5	MF	Mitsuki Saito football squad player\|no=6\|nat=JPN\|pos=MF\|name=Takahiro Ogihara}}
7	MF	Yosuke Ideguchi
9	FW	Taisei Miyashiro
10	FW	Yuya Osako
11	MF	Yoshinori Muto
13	MF	Daiju Sasaki (vice-captain)
14	MF	Koya Yuruki
15	DF	Yuki Honda
16	DF	Caetano
18	MF	Haruya Ide
20	DF	Yuta Koike
21	GK	Shota Arai
23	DF	Rikuto Hirose
24	DF	Gōtoku Sakai (vice-captain)
25	MF	Yuya Kuwasaki

No.	Position	Player
26	FW	Jean Patric
27	FW	Erik (on loan from Machida Zelvia)
29	FW	Ren Komatsu
30	MF	Kakeru Yamauchi
31	DF	Takuya Iwanami
32	GK	Richard Monday Ubong
33	MF	Rikuto Hashimoto
35	FW	Niina Tominaga
41	DF	Katsuya Nagato
44	MF	Mitsuki Hidaka
50	GK	Powell Obinna Obi
52	MF	Kento Hamasaki ^{Type 2}
66	DF	Riku Matsuda
77	MF	Gustavo Klismahn (on loan from Santa Clara)
	GK	Taiga Kameda ^{Type 2}
	DF	Sota Hara ^{Type 2}
	MF	Tafuku Satomi ^{Type 2}
	MF	Taiga Seguchi ^{Type 2}
	FW	Hayato Watanabe ^{Type 2}

Players on Loan

No.	Position	Player
22	DF	Haruka Motoyama (at Fagiano Okayama)
40	DF	Kaito Yamada (at Tacoma Defiance)
	GK	Shioki Takayama (at FC Ryukyu)
	GK	Yuya Tsuboi (at Omiya Ardija)
	DF	Justin Homma (at Matsumoto Yamaga)

No.		Position	Player
		DF	Yusei Ozaki (at Blaublitz Akita)
		MF	Shuto Adachi (at Thespa Gunma)
		MF	Tatsunori Sakurai (at Sagan Tosu)
		MF	Juzo Ura (at Kataller Toyama)

Club Officials

These are the main people who help run Vissel Kobe in 2024.

Position	Name
Manager	Takayuki Yoshida
Assistant manager	Tomo Sugawara Kunie Kitamoto
Young player development coach	Yuji Miyahara
Goalkeeper coach	Sidmar
Analytical coach	Tatsuro Takenaka Daichi Matsumoto
Physical coach	Akira Umeki Hikaru Fujii
Interpreter	Eiji Kumon Daisuke Kawashima
Chief trainer	Yoshio Shibata
Trainer	Masaaki Morita Ryota Matsuda Minoru Onogawa Naoto Nakayama
Dietitian	Rika Kawabata
Chief side manager	Shusuke Sasagawa
Equipment manager	Takuya Arai Tomoki Ishiguro
Side manager	Yuto Kato

League Journey of Vissel Kobe

Vissel Kobe has played in different football leagues over the years:

1978–1985: Played in the Chugoku Soccer League (as Kawasaki Steel Mizushima).
1986–1991: Moved up to Division 2 of the Japan Soccer League.
1992–1993: Played in Division 3 of the Japan Football League.
1994–1996: Played in Division 2 of the Japan Football League.
1997–2005: Joined the top league, J.League Division 1.
2006: Played one season in J.League Division 2.
2007–2012: Returned to J.League Division 1.
2013: Played one season in J.League Division 2.
2014–Present: Has been playing in the J1 League, the top division.

As of 2024, Vissel Kobe has spent 26 seasons in the top league, 11 seasons in the second league, 2 seasons in the third league, and 8 seasons in regional leagues.

Vissel Kobe's Achievements

Vissel Kobe has won several important titles:

Vissel Kobe Honours
Honour	Number	Years Won
J1 League	2	2023, 2024
Chūgoku Soccer League (as Kawasaki Steel Mizushima)	5	1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985
Emperor's Cup	2	2019, 2024
Japanese Super Cup	1	2020
All Japan Senior Football Championship	1	1976

Playing in Asia: Continental Record

Vissel Kobe has also played in major Asian football tournaments:

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2020	AFC Champions League	Group G	Johor Darul Ta'zim	~~5–1~~	Cancelled	1st
			Suwon Samsung Bluewings	0–2	1–0
			Guangzhou Evergrande	0–2	3–1
		Round of 16	Shanghai Port	2–0
		Quarter-finals	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	1–1 (aet) (7–6 p)
		Semi-finals	Ulsan Hyundai	1–2 (aet)
2022	AFC Champions League	Play-off round	Melbourne Victory	4–3 (aet)
		Group J	Shanghai Port	Cancelled
			Kitchee	2–1	2–2	1st
			Chiangrai United	6–0	0–0	1st
		Round of 16	Yokohama F. Marinos	3–2
		Quarter-finals	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	1–3 (aet)
2024–25	AFC Champions League Elite	League stage	Buriram United	N/A	0–0
			Shandong Taishan	2–1	N/A
			Ulsan HD	N/A	2–0
			Gwangju	2–0	N/A
			Central Coast Mariners	3–2	N/A
			Pohang Steelers	N/A	1–3
			Shanghai Port	4–0	N/A
			Shanghai Shenhua	N/A