Yokohama F. Marinos facts for kids
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Full name | Yokohama F·Marinos | |||
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Nickname(s) | Marinos, Tricolor | |||
Founded | 1972 | as Nissan Motor|||
Stadium | Nissan Stadium | |||
Stadium capacity |
72,327 | |||
Owner |
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Chairman | Akihiro Nakayama | |||
Manager | Hideo Ōshima | |||
League | J1 League | |||
2022 | J1 League, 1st of 18 (champions) | |||
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Bold indicates the club was founded by CFG.
* indicates the club was acquired by CFG.
§ indicates the club is co-owned.
2008 | Manchester City F.C.* |
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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.
Contents
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 |
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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 |
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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
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 |
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Manager | ![]() |
Fitness coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeper coach | ![]() |
Assistant goalkeeper coach | ![]() |
Conditioning coach | ![]() |
Chief analyst | ![]() |
Analyst | ![]() |
Performance data analyst | ![]() |
Manager History
Many managers have led Yokohama F. Marinos over the years. Here are some of them:
Manager | Nationality | Start Date | End Date |
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Hidehiko Shimizu | ![]() |
1993 | 1994 |
Jorge Solari | ![]() |
1995 | 1995 |
Hiroshi Hayano | ![]() |
1995 | 1996 |
Xabier Azkargorta | ![]() |
1997 | August 1998 |
Antonio de la Cruz | ![]() |
August 1998 | 1999 |
Osvaldo Ardiles | ![]() |
Jan 1, 2000 | Dec 31, 2000 |
Yoshiaki Shimojo | ![]() |
2001 | 2001 |
Sebastião Lazaroni | ![]() |
2001 | 2002 |
Yoshiaki Shimojo | ![]() |
2002 | Dec 31, 2002 |
Takeshi Okada | ![]() |
Jan 1, 2003 | Aug 24, 2006 |
Takashi Mizunuma | ![]() |
Aug 25, 2006 | Dec 31, 2006 |
Hiroshi Hayano | ![]() |
Jan 1, 2007 | Dec 31, 2007 |
Takashi Kuwahara | ![]() |
Jan 1, 2008 | July 17, 2008 |
Kokichi Kimura | ![]() |
July 18, 2008 | Dec 31, 2009 |
Kazushi Kimura | ![]() |
Feb 16, 2010 | Dec 31, 2011 |
Yasuhiro Higuchi | ![]() |
Dec 30, 2011 | Dec 7, 2014 |
Erick Mombaerts | ![]() |
Dec 16, 2014 | Jan 1, 2018 |
Ange Postecoglou | ![]() |
Jan 1, 2018 | June 10, 2021 |
Hideki Matsunaga (caretaker) | ![]() |
June 10, 2021 | July 18, 2021 |
Kevin Muscat | ![]() |
July 18, 2021 | December 13, 2023 |
Harry Kewell | ![]() |
Dec 31, 2023 | July 15, 2024 |
John Hutchinson (caretaker) | ![]() |
July 16, 2024 | December 9, 2024 |
Steve Holland | ![]() |
December 17, 2024 | April 18, 2025 |
Patrick Kisnorbo | ![]() |
April 18, 2025 | June 19, 2025 |
Hideo Ōshima | ![]() |
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:
Shigetatsu Matsunaga (1993)
Masami Ihara (1994–1998)
Yoshiharu Ueno (1999–2000)
Norio Omura (2001)
Naoki Matsuda (2002–2003)
Daisuke Oku (2004)
Naoki Matsuda (2005–2006)
Yuji Nakazawa (2007)
Ryuji Kawai (2008–2009)
Yuzo Kurihara (2010)
Shunsuke Nakamura (2011–2016)
Manabu Saito (2017)
Yuji Nakazawa (2018)
Takuya Kida (2019–present)
Club Achievements
Yokohama F. Marinos has won many important titles:
Honour | Number of Wins | Years Won |
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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.
- Japan: Akihiro Endo, Yasuhiro Hato, Masami Ihara, Shoji Jo, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, Kazushi Kimura, Tatsuhiko Kubo, Yuzo Kurihara, Naoki Matsuda, Shigetatsu Matsunaga, Takashi Mizunuma, Shunsuke Nakamura, Eisuke Nakanishi, Yuji Nakazawa, Daisuke Oku, Norio Omura, Daisuke Sakata, Hayuma Tanaka, Yoshiharu Ueno, Kazuma Watanabe, Koji Yamase, Takefusa Kubo, Shinnosuke Hatanaka, Ken Matsubara, Kota Watanabe, Daizen Maeda, Ryo Miyaichi, Takuma Nishimura, Tomoki Iwata, Ryuta Koike, Joel Chima Fujita, Kota Mizunuma.
- 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).
- South American Countries: Alberto Acosta (Argentina), Pablo Bastianini (Argentina), David Bisconti (Argentina), Ramón Díaz (Argentina), Darío Figueroa (Argentina), Néstor Gorosito (Argentina), Raul Maldonado (Argentina), Pedro Massacessi (Argentina), Ramón Medina Bello (Argentina), Gustavo Zapata (Argentina), Julio César Baldivieso (Bolivia), Marcelo Lipatín (Uruguay).
- European Countries: David Babunski (North Macedonia), Igor Jovićević (Croatia), Goran Jurić (Croatia), Dušan Petković (Serbia), Andoni Goikoetxea (Spain), Julio Salinas (Spain), Hugo Vieira (Portugal).
- 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:
- 1994 FIFA World Cup: Ramón Medina Bello
- 1998 FIFA World Cup: Masami Ihara, Shoji Jo, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, Norio Omura, César Sampaio
- 2002 FIFA World Cup: Naoki Matsuda
- 2006 FIFA World Cup: Yuji Nakazawa
- 2010 FIFA World Cup: Yuji Nakazawa, Shunsuke Nakamura
- 2014 FIFA World Cup: Manabu Saito
- 2018 FIFA World Cup: Milos Degenek
Awards for Players and Coaches
Yokohama F. Marinos players and coaches have won many individual awards:
- J.League MVP Award (Best Player):
- Shunsuke Nakamura (2000; 2013)
- Yuji Nakazawa (2004)
- Teruhito Nakagawa (2019)
- Tomoki Iwata (2022)
- J.League Top Scorer (Most Goals):
- Ramón Díaz (1993)
- Teruhito Nakagawa (2019)
- Marcos Júnior (2019)
- Daizen Maeda (2021)
- Anderson Lopes (2023, 2024)
- J.League Rookie of the Year (Best New Player):
- Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (1995)
- Daisuke Nasu (2003)
- Kazuma Watanabe (2009)
- J.League Manager of the Year (Best Coach):
- Takeshi Okada (2003; 2004)
- Ange Postecoglou (2019)
- Kevin Muscat (2022)
- J.League Fair Play Award:
- Daisuke Sakata (2007)
- Yuji Nakazawa (2015; 2017)
- 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)
- J.League Best XI (Team of the Year):
- 1993: Shigetatsu Matsunaga, Masami Ihara, Ramón Díaz
- 1994: Masami Ihara
- 1995: Masami Ihara, Masaharu Suzuki
- 1996: Masami Ihara
- 1997: Masami Ihara
- 1999: Shunsuke Nakamura
- 2000: Naoki Matsuda, Shunsuke Nakamura
- 2002: Naoki Matsuda
- 2003: Yuji Nakazawa, Daisuke Oku, Tatsuhiko Kubo, Dutra
- 2004: Yuji Nakazawa, Daisuke Oku, Dutra
- 2005: Yuji Nakazawa
- 2008: Yuji Nakazawa
- 2013: Yuji Nakazawa, Shunsuke Nakamura
- 2019: Teruhito Nakagawa, Marcos Júnior, Takuya Kida, Thiago Martins
- 2021: Daizen Maeda
- 2022: Élber, Kota Mizunuma, Tomoki Iwata, Ryuta Koike, Yohei Takaoka
- 2023: Anderson Lopes
- 2024: Anderson Lopes
- AFC Champions League Best XI:
- 2020: Takuya Kida, Teruhito Nakagawa
- J.League Cup MVP:
- 2001: Tatsuya Enomoto
- J.League Cup New Hero:
- 2013: Manabu Saito
- 2018: Keita Endo
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
In Spanish: Yokohama F. Marinos para niños