World Cup 2022: As J-League evolves Japan's best are heading for Europe

Japan's top league is thriving. Many of the best players in the J-League are heading for Europe. The most common route is to Belgium or Germany. In Qatar, 19 of 26 players will play for their country. In 2002, only four players from Japan were playing at the World Cup in South Korea. Alberto Zaccheroni's message was to send players to the west. He sent Maya Yoshida and Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada to play in Europe instead. They are currently playing in Belgium. There are also some players who play at Parma.

The J-League is trying to produce young talent. It has a '2030 Football Vision' that works towards providing a world-class football environment. The league promotes itself as the Premier League of Asia. Players who move to Europe later in their career are less likely to be successful. Brazilian players have a bigger influence than Spanish players. They are more likely than other nationalities to play in Europe. Japanese players need variety to develop. English football officials want to encourage this. Richard Allen is a senior football executive at Yokohama FC.