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Yokohama F. Marinos
横浜F・マリノス
logo
Full name Yokohama F·Marinos
Nickname(s) Marinos, Tricolor
Founded 1972; 53 years ago (1972) as Nissan Motor
Stadium Nissan Stadium
Stadium
capacity
72,327
Owner
  • Nissan (80%)
  • City Football Group (20%)
Chairman Akihiro Nakayama
Manager Hideo Ōshima
League J1 League
2022 J1 League, 1st of 18 (champions)
Third colours
(listed in order of acquisition/foundation)
Bold indicates the club was founded by CFG.
* indicates the club was acquired by CFG.
§ indicates the club is co-owned.
Clubs owned by CFG
2008 Manchester City F.C.*
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 New York City FC§
2014 Melbourne City FC*
Yokohama F. Marinos*§
2015
2016
2017 Montevideo City Torque*
Girona FC*§
2018
2019 Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.*§
Mumbai City FC*§
2020 Lommel S.K.*
ES Troyes AC*
2021
2022 Palermo F.C.*§

Yokohama F. Marinos (横浜F・マリノス) is a professional football club from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan.

The club is one of the most successful teams in the J-League, having won the title five times and finished second twice. The team started as the company team for Nissan Motor. In 1999, Yokohama Marinos joined with another team, Yokohama Flügels, to form Yokohama F. Marinos. The "F" in the name stands for Flügels. Yokohama F. Marinos has played in Japan's top football league every year since 1982, making them one of only two teams to do so.

Club History

Early Years as Nissan Motors (1972–1991)

The team began in 1972 as the Nissan Motors Football Club in Yokohama. They moved up to Division 2 in 1976. Under coach Shu Kamo, Nissan won the Japan Soccer League in 1988 and 1989. They also won the JSL Cup three times and the Emperor's Cup five times. In 1989, the team won the "Triple Crown," which means they won all three major tournaments in Japan. Famous players like Kazushi Kimura, Takashi Mizunuma, and Brazilian Oscar were part of this team. At the end of the 1991–92 season, they won the 1991–92 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.

Becoming Yokohama Marinos (1992–1998)

Nissan Motors became a professional club and joined the new J.League. They changed their name to Yokohama Marinos. The name "Marinos" refers to Yokohama being a big port city. As a professional team, they continued to win. They won the 1992 Emperor's Cup, their second 1992–93 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, and their first J.League title in 1995. Matches between Yokohama Marinos and Verdy Kawasaki were known as the National Derby.

Yokohama F. Marinos (1999–Present)

In 1999, the club became Yokohama F. Marinos after joining with Yokohama Flügels. Flügels had faced financial problems. The "F" was added to remember the Flügels team. However, some Flügels fans felt their team was simply taken over, not truly merged. Because of this, they started a new team called Yokohama FC, which became a new rival for F. Marinos.

In 2000, Marinos finished second in the J1 League, and Shunsuke Nakamura was named the best player. On October 27, 2001, Marinos won the J.League Cup by beating Júbilo Iwata in a penalty shootout. In 2002, they were again league runners-up.

Winning Back-to-Back Titles

Yokohama F. Marinos won the league championship two years in a row, in 2003 and 2004. Key players during this time included South Koreans Ahn Jung-hwan and Yoo Sang-chul, and Japanese stars like Daisuke Oku, Tatsuhiko Kubo, and Yuji Nakazawa. Their coach, Takeshi Okada, was named 'Best Coach of the Year' in both 2003 and 2004.

From 2005 to 2008, the team did not win any major trophies. In 2010, club legend Shunsuke Nakamura returned to Yokohama F. Marinos. Sadly, in 2011, former Marinos player Naoki Matsuda passed away at age 34. His number 3 jersey was retired in his honor.

After reaching the semi-finals twice, Marinos won the 2013 Emperor's Cup on January 1, 2014. This was their first Emperor's Cup win in 21 years. In 2013, they also finished second in the J.League.

Partnership with City Football Group

On May 20, 2014, the City Football Group (which owns Manchester City) invested in Yokohama F. Marinos. This created a partnership between the club and Nissan.

After some tough years, including losing in the 2017 Emperor's Cup Final and the 2018 J.League Cup Final, the team improved under Australian coach Ange Postecoglou. They won the 2019 J1 League title, ending a 15-year wait. Teruhito Nakagawa was named 'Best Player of the Season' and was a top scorer with 15 goals, along with Brazilian Marcos Júnior.

In 2020, Marinos reached the knockout stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League for the first time in the current format. They won their group but were knocked out in the Round of 16. In 2021, they finished second in the league. Coach Ange Postecoglou left for Celtic, and another Australian coach, Kevin Muscat, took over.

In 2022, Kevin Muscat led the club to win their fifth J1 League title. They also topped their group in the 2022 AFC Champions League but lost in the Round of 16. In 2023, Marinos finished second in the league again. They also won their group in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League and reached the knockout stage.

On December 6, 2023, Kevin Muscat resigned. Harry Kewell became the new head coach on December 31, 2023, making him the third Australian manager in a row. Kewell led the team to the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. They won a thrilling penalty shootout against Ulsan Hyundai to reach their first-ever Champions League final against Al Ain. They won the first leg at home 2–1 but lost the second leg away 5–1, finishing as runners-up in the competition. On July 15, 2024, Harry Kewell left the club, and John Hutchinson became the caretaker manager. On December 17, 2024, Steve Holland was appointed manager, followed by Patrick Kisnorbo on April 18, 2025. Currently, Hideo Ōshima is the manager, having taken over on June 19, 2025.

Club Rivalries

Yokohama Derby

This is a classic match between the main teams in Yokohama: Yokohama F. Marinos, Yokohama FC, and YSCC Yokohama. Before 1999, the Yokohama derby was played between Yokohama F. Marinos and the former Yokohama Flügels.

Kanagawa Derby

This derby involves teams from the Kanagawa prefecture. The most important match today is between Yokohama F. Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale. Other rivals in this derby include Shonan Bellmare, Yokohama FC, and YSCC Yokohama. In the past, Verdy Kawasaki and the former Yokohama Flügels were also part of this derby.

Team Colors and Slogans

Yokohama F. Marinos uses three main colors: blue, white, and red. In 2012, they even released a special jersey to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

The club also has special slogans for each year:

Year Slogan
2009 Enjoy・Growing・Victory
2010 ACTIVE
2011 ACTIVE 2011
2012 All for Win
2013 All for Win -Realize
2014 All For Win -Fight it out!
2015-2017 Integral Goal - All for Win
2018 Brave and Challenging
2019 URBAN ELEGANCE TRICOLORE
2020 Brave and Challenging BRAVE BLUE
2021–2024 Brave and Challenging
2025– Be a Stunner

Kit Suppliers and Sponsors

The team's jerseys are made by different companies, and they have sponsors whose names appear on the shirts.

Period Kit Supplier Shirt Sponsor
1992–1996 Mizuno (J-League) and Adidas (Emperor's Cup) Nissan
1997–2007 Adidas
2008–2011 Nike
2012– Adidas SANEI ARCHITECTURE
MUGEN ESTATE
NISSHIN OILLIO

Home Stadiums

Nissan International Stadium Yokohama
International Stadium Yokohama, one of the two home stadiums of the Yokohama F. Marinos
Mitsuzawa1
Mitsuzawa Stadium, one of the two home stadiums of the Yokohama F. Marinos

Yokohama F. Marinos plays their home games at two stadiums: Nissan Stadium (also known as International Stadium Yokohama) and Mitsuzawa Stadium. The team used to train at Marinos Town but moved to Kozukue Field in 2016.

Team Song

The official theme song for the club is "We Are F. Marinos" by the Japanese music group Yuzu. This song has been used since 2005 and is still played at games today. Sometimes, the team's mascot, Marinos-kun, dances to the song at Nissan Stadium.

Players and Staff

Current Team Squad

The Yokohama F. Marinos team includes players like Kōta Watanabe, Élber, Takuya Kida (who is the team captain), Daiya Tōno, Yan Matheus, Jeison Quiñónes, Asahi Uenaka, Sandy Walsh, Ren Katō, Kenta Inoue, Park Il-gyu, Jun Amano, Hiroki Iikura (a vice-captain), Ryō Miyaichi, Tōichi Suzuki, Dean David, Ken Matsubara (another vice-captain), Riku Yamane, Yuri Araújo, Ryoya Kimura, Kosei Suwama, Takuto Kimura, Taiki Watanabe, Kosuke Matsumura, Kohei Mochizuki, Reno Noguchi, Thomas Deng (also a vice-captain), Kodjo Aziangbe, Hiroto Asada, Kazuya Yamamura, and Kaina Tanimura. The club website lists the mascot as player #0 and the fans as player #12.

Players on Loan

Some players from Yokohama F. Marinos are currently playing for other teams on loan. These include Katsuya Nagato at Vissel Kobe, Eitarō Matsuda at Sagan Tosu, Tomoki Tagawa at Kataller Toyama, Manato Yoshida at Oita Trinita, and Yuki Murakami at Ehime FC.

Retired Jersey Number

The number 3 jersey has been retired by the club to honor Naoki Matsuda, a former player who sadly passed away.

Club Officials

The club has a team of officials who help run things:

Position Name
Manager Japan Hideo Oshima
Fitness coach Japan Tomoo Tsukoshi
Goalkeeper coach Japan Shigetatsu Matsunaga
Assistant goalkeeper coach Japan Tetsuya Enomoto
Conditioning coach Japan Yusuke Tanaka
Chief analyst Japan Satoru Okada
Analyst Japan Jun Yamaguchi
Performance data analyst Japan Yuki Masui

Manager History

Many managers have led Yokohama F. Marinos over the years. Here are some of them:

Manager Nationality Start Date End Date
Hidehiko Shimizu  Japan 1993 1994
Jorge Solari  Argentina 1995 1995
Hiroshi Hayano  Japan 1995 1996
Xabier Azkargorta  Spain 1997 August 1998
Antonio de la Cruz  Spain August 1998 1999
Osvaldo Ardiles  Argentina Jan 1, 2000 Dec 31, 2000
Yoshiaki Shimojo  Japan 2001 2001
Sebastião Lazaroni  Brazil 2001 2002
Yoshiaki Shimojo  Japan 2002 Dec 31, 2002
Takeshi Okada  Japan Jan 1, 2003 Aug 24, 2006
Takashi Mizunuma  Japan Aug 25, 2006 Dec 31, 2006
Hiroshi Hayano  Japan Jan 1, 2007 Dec 31, 2007
Takashi Kuwahara  Japan Jan 1, 2008 July 17, 2008
Kokichi Kimura  Japan July 18, 2008 Dec 31, 2009
Kazushi Kimura  Japan Feb 16, 2010 Dec 31, 2011
Yasuhiro Higuchi  Japan Dec 30, 2011 Dec 7, 2014
Erick Mombaerts  France Dec 16, 2014 Jan 1, 2018
Ange Postecoglou  Australia Jan 1, 2018 June 10, 2021
Hideki Matsunaga (caretaker)  Japan June 10, 2021 July 18, 2021
Kevin Muscat  Australia July 18, 2021 December 13, 2023
Harry Kewell  Australia Dec 31, 2023 July 15, 2024
John Hutchinson (caretaker)  Malta July 16, 2024 December 9, 2024
Steve Holland  England December 17, 2024 April 18, 2025
Patrick Kisnorbo  Australia April 18, 2025 June 19, 2025
Hideo Ōshima  Japan June 19, 2025 Present

Club Captains

The captain leads the team on the field. Here are the captains of Yokohama F. Marinos over the years:

Club Achievements

Yokohama F. Marinos has won many important titles:

Yokohama F. Marinos Honours
Honour Number of Wins Years Won
Japan Soccer League Division 1 / J1 League 7 1988–89, 1989–90, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 2022
Emperor's Cup 7 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2013
JSL Cup / J.League Cup 4 1988, 1989, 1990, 2001
Japanese Super Cup 1 2023
All Japan Senior Football Championship 1 1976
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2 1991–92, 1992–93

International Players

Many players from Yokohama F. Marinos have been called up to play for their national teams. This includes players from Japan and other countries around the world.

  • Other Asian / Oceanian / African Countries: Miloš Degenek (Australia), Kim Kun-hoan (South Korea), Shin Byung-ho (South Korea), Yoo Sang-chul (South Korea), Yun Il-lok (South Korea), Theerathon Bunmathan (Thailand), Sandy Walsh (Indonesia).
  • North American Countries: Quenten Martinus (Curaçao).

Players in the FIFA World Cup

Some players from Yokohama F. Marinos have represented their countries in the FIFA World Cup:

Awards for Players and Coaches

Yokohama F. Marinos players and coaches have won many individual awards:

  • J.League Top Scorer (Most Goals):
    • Ramón Díaz (1993)
    • Teruhito Nakagawa (2019)
    • Marcos Júnior (2019)
    • Daizen Maeda (2021)
    • Anderson Lopes (2023, 2024)
  • J.League Manager of the Year (Best Coach):
    • Takeshi Okada (2003; 2004)
    • Ange Postecoglou (2019)
    • Kevin Muscat (2022)
  • J.League Monthly MVP (Best Player Each Month):
    • Shunsuke Nakamura (March 2013, October 2015)
    • Tetsuya Enomoto (October 2013)
    • Manabu Saito (August 2015, October 2016, November 2016)
    • Yuji Nakazawa (June 2017)
    • Takuya Kida (May 2019)
    • Teruhito Nakagawa (October 2019)
    • Erik (September 2020)
    • Leo Ceara (August 2021)
    • Kota Mizunuma (June 2022)
    • Tomoki Iwata (September 2022)

Youth Development

Yokohama F. Marinos has a strong youth system that started in 1986. It has three age groups: U-12, U-15, and U-18. Many talented players have come from the Marinos youth academy, including Shunsuke Nakamura, Manabu Saito, Jungo Fujimoto, Mike Havenaar, Hiroki Iikura, Takashi Amano, Hiroyuki Taniguchi, Tetsuya Enomoto, Yuzo Kurihara, Hayuma Tanaka, Yuki Kaneko, Daisuke Sakata, Naohiro Ishikawa, Rikizo Matsuhashi, Eitaro Matsuda, Kota Yamada, Keita Endo, Ryo Takano, Takuya Kida, Andrew Kumagai, Yuji Ono, Jun Amano, Sho Matsumoto, Jin Hanato, Kota Mizunuma, Takashi Kanai, Masakazu Tashiro, and Yota Akimoto.

The youth teams also compete in various tournaments:

  • All Japan Club Youth Soccer Tournament
  • JFA Prince League Kanto
  • Prince Takamado Trophy
  • J-Youth Cup
  • JFA Championship
  • Danone Nations Cup

Images for kids

See also

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