# 2008 J.League Division 1

The 2008 J.League Division 1 season was the 44th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 16th season since the establishment of J.League Division 1. The season began on March 8 and ended on December 6.
A total of eighteen clubs participated in double round-robin format. Starting this season, top three clubs received automatic qualification to the following years' AFC Champions League. The bottom two clubs were relegated to J.League Division 2 by default, while 16th-placed club had to defend their spot in the top-flight in the pro/rele series.

## Clubs

The following 18 clubs participated in J.League Division 1 during 2008 season. Of these clubs, Consadole Sapporo, Tokyo Verdy, and Kyoto Purple Sanga are newly promoted clubs.
| Club Name | Home Town(s) | Note(s) |
| Albirex Niigata | Niigata & Seirō, Niigata | |
| Consadole Sapporo | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 |
| FC Tokyo | Tokyo | |
| Gamba Osaka | Suita, Osaka | 2008 ACL participant |
| JEF United Chiba | Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba | |
| Júbilo Iwata | Iwata, Shizuoka | |
| Kashima Antlers | Southwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki | 2008 ACL participant Defending champions |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Kashiwa, Chiba | |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | Southwestern cities/town in Kyoto | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 |
| Nagoya Grampus | Nagoya, Aichi | Renamed from Nagoya Grampus Eight |
| Oita Trinita | All cities/towns in Ōita | |
| Omiya Ardija | Saitama | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | |
| Tokyo Verdy | Tokyo | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 Renamed from Tokyo Verdy 1969 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Saitama | 2008 ACL Participant |
| Vissel Kobe | Kobe, Hyōgo | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Yokohama & Yokosuka | |

### Personnel

| Club | Head coach |
| Albirex Niigata | Jun Suzuki |
| Consadole Sapporo | Toshiya Miura |
| FC Tokyo | Hiroshi Jofuku |
| Gamba Osaka | Akira Nishino |
| JEF United Chiba | Alex Miller |
| Júbilo Iwata | Hans Ooft |
| Kashima Antlers | Oswaldo de Oliveira |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Nobuhiro Ishizaki |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Tsutomu Takahata |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | Hisashi Kato |
| Nagoya Grampus | Dragan Stojković |
| Oita Trinita | Péricles Chamusca |
| Omiya Ardija | Yasuhiro Higuchi |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Kenta Hasegawa |
| Tokyo Verdy | Tetsuji Hashiratani |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Gert Engels |
| Vissel Kobe | Hiroshi Matsuda |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Kokichi Kimura |

### Foreign players

| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Non-visa foreign | Type-C contract | Former players |
| Albirex Niigata | Alessandro | Davi | Márcio Richardes | | Michael Fitzgerald | Luís Augusto |
| Consadole Sapporo | Anderson | Claiton | Davi | Chong Yong-de | | Alceu Edson Nonato |
| FC Tokyo | Bruno Quadros | Caboré | Emerson Paulista | | | |
| Gamba Osaka | Lucas Severino | Mineiro | Rôni | | | Baré |
| JEF United Chiba | Eddy Bosnar | Michael | Reinaldo | Kim Dong-soo | | Mirko Hrgović Park Jong-jin |
| Júbilo Iwata | Ferrugem | Gilsinho | | | | |
| Kashima Antlers | Danilo | Marcinho | Marquinhos | | | |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Alex | França | Popó | | | |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Juninho | Renatinho | Vitor Júnior | Jong Tae-se | | Hulk |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | Ataliba | Fernandinho | Sidiclei | | William Pinheiro | Paulinho |
| Nagoya Grampus | Magnum | Frode Johnsen | Miloš Bajalica | | | |
| Oita Trinita | Edmilson Alves | Roberto | Ueslei | | | |
| Omiya Ardija | Dênis Marques | Leandro Euzébio | Klemen Lavrič | | | Pedro Júnior |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Marcos Aurélio | Marcos Paulo | | | Kim Dong-sub | Fernandinho |
| Tokyo Verdy | Diego Souza | Leandro | | Osama Elsamni | | Francismar Hulk |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Edmílson | Robson Ponte | | | | |
| Vissel Kobe | Leandro | Raphael Botti | Kim Nam-il | Park Kang-jo | | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Lopes Tigrão | Kim Kun-hoan | | | | Rôni |

## Format

Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:
* Goal differential
* Goals scored
* Head-to-head results
* Disciplinary points
A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The bottom two clubs will be relegated to J2, while the 16th placed club plays a two-legged promotion/relegation Series. The champions of this season qualifies to the AFC Champions League and one to three more clubs may also qualify.

### Changes from Previous Year

* Introduction of Disciplinary points for tie breaker (2008–)
* Top three clubs will qualify to AFC Champions League
* The J.League will not qualify to the abolished A3 Champions Cup.

## Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Kashima Antlers (C) | 34 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 56 | 30 | +26 | 63 | Qualification for 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 65 | 42 | +23 | 60 | Qualification for 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage |
| 3 | Nagoya Grampus | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 59 | Qualification for 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage |
| 4 | Oita Trinita | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 56 | Qualification for Pan-Pacific Championship 2009 |
| 5 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 55 | |
| 6 | FC Tokyo | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 55 | |
| 7 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 53 | |
| 8 | Gamba Osaka | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 50 | Qualification for 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage |
| 9 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 43 | 32 | +11 | 48 | |
| 10 | Vissel Kobe | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 47 | |
| 11 | Kashiwa Reysol | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 48 | 45 | +3 | 46 | |
| 12 | Omiya Ardija | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 36 | 45 | −9 | 43 | |
| 13 | Albirex Niigata | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 32 | 46 | −14 | 42 | |
| 14 | Kyoto Sanga | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 37 | 46 | −9 | 41 | |
| 15 | JEF United Chiba | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 38 | |
| 16 | Júbilo Iwata (O) | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 37 | 2008 promotion/relegation series |
| 17 | Tokyo Verdy (R) | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 37 | Relegation to 2009 J.League Division 2 |
| 18 | Consadole Sapporo (R) | 34 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 36 | 70 | −34 | 18 | Relegation to 2009 J.League Division 2 |
* ↑ Qualified as the winner of 2008 J.League Cup.
* ↑ Qualified as the winner of 2008 Emperor's Cup.

## Results

| Home \ Away | ALB | ANT | ARD | CON | FRO | GAM | GRA | JEF | JÚB | REY | SAN | SSP | TOK | TRI | RED | VER | VIS | FMA |
| Albirex Niigata | | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Kashima Antlers | 0–0 | | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Omiya Ardija | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Consadole Sapporo | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 4–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 |
| Gamba Osaka | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 2–1 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 2–0 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| JEF United Chiba | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Kyoto Sanga | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| FC Tokyo | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–5 | | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Oita Trinita | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–6 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | | 0–2 | 3–2 |
| Vissel Kobe | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |

## Player statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Marquinhos | Kashima Antlers | 21 |
| 2 | Davi | Consadole Sapporo | 16 |
| 3 | Atsushi Yanagisawa | Kyoto Sanga | 14 |
| 3 | Jong Tae-se | Kawasaki Frontale | 14 |
| 5 | Alessandro | Albirex Niigata | 13 |
| 6 | Juninho | Kawasaki Frontale | 12 |
| 6 | Shingo Akamine | FC Tokyo | 12 |
| 6 | Frode Johnsen | Nagoya Grampus | 12 |

### Top assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Yoshizumi Ogawa | Nagoya Grampus | 12 |
| 2 | Kengo Nakamura | Kawasaki Frontale | 11 |
| 2 | Kota Ueda | Júbilo Iwata | 11 |
| 4 | Juninho | Kawasaki Frontale | 10 |
| 5 | Claiton | Consadole Sapporo | 9 |
| 6 | Danilo | Kashima Antlers | 8 |
| 6 | Akihiro Hyodo | Shimizu S-Pulse | 8 |
| 6 | Yasuhito Endō | Gamba Osaka | 8 |
| 9 | Lucas Severino | Gamba Osaka | 7 |
| 9 | Yoshito Ōkubo | Vissel Kobe | 7 |

## Awards
### Individual awards

| Award | Recipient | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Marquinhos | Kashima Antlers |
| Rookie of the Year | Yoshizumi Ogawa | Nagoya Grampus |
| Manager of the Year | Oswaldo de Oliveira | Kashima Antlers |
| Top Scorer | Marquinhos | Kashima Antlers |

### Best Eleven

| Pos | Footballer | Club | Nationality |
| GK | Seigo Narazaki | Nagoya Grampus | Japan |
| DF | Atsuto Uchida | Kashima Antlers | Japan |
| DF | Daiki Iwamasa | Kashima Antlers | Japan |
| DF | Marcus Tulio Tanaka | Nagoya Grampus | Japan |
| DF | Satoshi Yamaguchi | Gamba Osaka | Japan |
| DF | Yuji Nakazawa | Yokohama F. Marinos | Japan |
| MF | Kengo Nakamura | Kawasaki Frontale | Japan |
| MF | Yasuhito Endō | Gamba Osaka | Japan |
| MF | Yoshizumi Ogawa | Nagoya Grampus | Japan |
| FW | Marquinhos | Kashima Antlers | Brazil |
| FW | Atsushi Yanagisawa | Kyoto Sanga | Japan |

## Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 809,353 | 57,050 | 16,225 | 47,609 | +2.0%$^†$ |
| 2 | Albirex Niigata | 586,325 | 40,359 | 22,740 | 34,490 | −9.9%$^†$ |
| 3 | FC Tokyo | 437,176 | 37,154 | 17,122 | 25,716 | +1.7%$^†$ |
| 4 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 402,593 | 61,246 | 9,583 | 23,682 | −1.5%$^†$ |
| 5 | Oita Trinita | 345,481 | 31,744 | 9,376 | 20,322 | +2.8%$^†$ |
| 6 | Kashima Antlers | 335,140 | 36,412 | 6,725 | 19,714 | +21.4%$^†$ |
| 7 | Kawasaki Frontale | 298,597 | 21,952 | 10,884 | 17,565 | +1.3%$^†$ |
| 8 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 282,190 | 20,330 | 13,855 | 16,599 | +4.1%$^†$ |
| 9 | Nagoya Grampus | 281,442 | 34,436 | 7,353 | 16,555 | +6.2%$^†$ |
| 10 | Gamba Osaka | 274,169 | 20,773 | 10,039 | 16,128 | −7.5%$^†$ |
| 11 | Júbilo Iwata | 262,911 | 27,866 | 8,216 | 15,465 | −5.5%$^†$ |
| 12 | Tokyo Verdy | 252,231 | 30,517 | 8,060 | 14,837 | +102.5%$^†$ |
| 13 | Consadole Sapporo | 247,305 | 28,901 | 7,010 | 14,547 | +20.1%$^†$ |
| 14 | JEF United Chiba | 239,436 | 17,152 | 8,694 | 14,084 | −0.5%$^†$ |
| 15 | Kyoto Sanga | 232,671 | 19,680 | 8,192 | 13,687 | +106.5%$^†$ |
| 16 | Vissel Kobe | 220,672 | 23,088 | 7,839 | 12,981 | +4.2%$^†$ |
| 17 | Kashiwa Reysol | 209,229 | 36,785 | 7,474 | 12,308 | −5.1%$^†$ |
| 18 | Omiya Ardija | 158,944 | 12,505 | 6,125 | 9,350 | −18.4%$^†$ |
| | League total | 5,875,865 | 61,246 | 6,125 | 19,202 | +0.7%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on December 6, 2008 Source: J. League Division 1 Notes: $^†$ Team played previous season in J2.