Albirex Niigata
Squad
- Kazunari Ono2008current
- Michael Fitzgerald2008current
- Masaru Kato2010current
- Noriyoshi Sakai2011current
Shigeto Masuda2011current- Naoki Kawaguchi2012current
- Kazuki Kozuka2013current
- Sho Naruoka2013current
Tatsuya Tanaka2013current- Hiroshi Ibusuki2014current
- Kei Koizumi2014current
Ken Matsubara2014current- Shusuke Tsubouchi2014current
- Tatsuya Morita2014current
Yuki Kobayashi2014current
Bruno Cortez2015current- Go Hayama2015current
- Goro Kawanami2015current
Ryohei Yamazaki2015current- Shu Hiramatsu2015current
- Takanori Maeno2015current
- Gakuto Notsuda2016current
- Yuta Ito2016current
- Arata Watanabe2017current
- Akihiro Kuriharacurrent
Akihito Ozawacurrent- Atsushi Kawatacurrent
- Daiki Kaneicurrent
- Fumiya Hayakawacurrent
- Goson Sakaicurrent
- Hideya Tanakacurrent
- Hiroki Akiyamacurrent
Jason Geriacurrent- Kazuaki Yoshinagacurrent
- Kazuki Fujitacurrent
- Kazuya Matsudacurrent
- Kenta Hirosecurrent
- Kiwara Miyazakicurrent
- Kota Saitocurrent
- Koto Abecurrent
Leonardo Nascimento Lopes de Souzacurrent- Makoto Ikedacurrent
- Masaaki Yanagishitacurrent
- Masahiro Kuzunocurrent
- Nanasei Iinocurrent
- Naoto Araicurrent
- Ryoma Nishimuracurrent
Ryosuke Kojimacurrent
Ryotaro Itocurrent- Sachirō Toshimacurrent
- Shinichi Fujitacurrent
- Shion Honmacurrent
- Shogo Yoshizawacurrent
- Shosei Okamotocurrent
Song Ju-huncurrent- Taiki Watanabecurrent
- Yasuhiro Watanabecurrent
- Yasutaka Yanagicurrent
- Yuki Sakaicurrent
- Yukiya Hamanocurrent
- Erik van Rossum1995–1995
- Kenji Komata1996–1998
- Yuji Yaso1996–1997
- Hiroaki Hiraoka1997–1998
- Jun Mizukoshi1997–1999
- Takamichi Kobayashi1997–2001
- Yuji Kakiuchi1997–1998
- Keiichiro Nakano1998–2001
- Koichi Kidera1998–2005
Teruki Tabata1998–1999- Haruki Seto1999–1999
- Masanori Kizawa1999–2000
- Naoki Naruo1999–2000
- Naoki Takahashi1999–2005
- Nobuhiro Shiba1999–2002
- Noriaki Tsutsui1999–1999
- Rikarudo Higa1999–1999
- Saulo Estevao da Costa Pimenta1999–1999
- Shingo Suzuki1999–2007
- Shinya Yoshihara1999–2000
- Shusuke Shimada1999–1999
- Sérgio Ricardo de Jesus Vertello1999–2002
- Tadahiro Akiba1999–2004
- Taichi Hasegawa1999–2001
- Takayoshi Shikida1999–2000
- Takeshi Kawaharazuka1999–1999
- Tomonori Tsunematsu1999–1999
- Hiroki Hattori2000–2000
Isao Homma2000–2014- Katsuo Kanda2000–2003
- Katsutoshi Domori2000–2000
- Kohei Inoue2000–2001
- Marco Tulio2000–2000
- Marcos Antonio García Nascimento2000–2000
- Masahiro Fukazawa2000–2004
- Yoshito Terakawa2000–2002
- Yosuke Nozawa2000–2008
Edi Carlos Dias Marçal2001–2001- Hisashi Kurosaki2001–2001
- Kenji Arai2001–2005
- Lindomar Ferreira de Oliveira2001–2001
- Marcos Bonifacio da Rocha2001–2001
- Masayuki Onishi2001–2001
- Naotaka Takeda2001–2001
- Nobuhiro Maeda2001–2004
- Ryoji Ujihara2001–2002
- Satoru Kobayashi2001–2002
- Sergio Roberto Pereira de Souza2001–2001
- Shigeru Ubukata2001–2001
- Takayuki Nishigaya2001–2001
An Yong-hak2002–2004- Hikaru Mita2002–2007
- Katsuyuki Miyazawa2002–2006
- Koichiro Katafuchi2002–2002
- Marcus Vinicius de Morais2002–2003
- Masahiro Ohashi2002–2002
- Masato Kawaguchi2002–2002
- Ryuji Sueoka2002–2005
- Shinji Jojo2002–2002
- Shinya Chiba2002–2002
- Taro Hasegawa2002–2002
- Tatsunori Yamagata2002–2003
- Toru Kaburagi2002–2002
- Valberto Amorim dos Santos2002–2002
- Yoshiaki Maruyama2002–2005
- Yuzo Funakoshi2002–2006
- Anderson Batatais2003–2004
- Eiichiro Ozaki2003–2003
- Fabinho Santos2003–2006
- Geílson de Carvalho Soares2003–2003
Hidetoshi Wakui2003–2003- Hiroshi Morita2003–2004
- Keisuke Kurihara2003–2004
- Kentaro Suzuki2003–2006
Koichi Sugiyama2003–2003- Makoto Atsuta2003–2003
- Motohiro Yamaguchi2003–2005
- Shoji Yamada2003–2003
- Takashi Kitano2003–2009
- Yusaku Ueno2003–2005
Edmílson dos Santos Silva2004–2004- Eiji Takada2004–2005
- Hiroyoshi Kuwabara2004–2005
- Naoto Matsuo2004–2004
- Osamu Umeyama2004–2006
- Oséas Reis dos Santos2004–2004
Roberto César2004–2004- Tomokazu Hirama2004–2004
- Toshiyuki Abe2004–2004
- Yasushi Kita2004–2006
- Yoshito Terakawa2004–2008
Atomu Tanaka2005–2014- Daisuke Aono2005–2006
- Daisuke Fujii2005–2006
- Edmílson dos Santos Silva2005–2007
Kazuhiko Chiba2005–2011- Kazuhisa Kawahara2005–2011
- Kazuya Myodo2005–2005
- Keiji Kaimoto2005–2008
- Kojiro Kaimoto2005–2006
- Kosei Nakamura2005–2006
Leonardo Moreira2005–2006- Marcel Sacramento2005–2005
- Masahiro Kazuma2005–2008
- Masashi Otani2005–2006
- Naoya Kikuchi2005–2005
- Neto Potiguar2005–2005
- Shigenori Hagimura2005–2005
- Tetsuya Okayama2005–2006
- Ânderson Lima2005–2005
Gōtoku Sakai2006–2011- Hiroshi Nakano2006–2010
- Jun Uchida2006–2013
- Kisho Yano2006–2010
- Masashi Otani2006–2008
Mitsuru Nagata2006–2010- Ryuta Sasaki2006–2006
- Shinichi Shuto2006–2006
- Sílvio José Canuto2006–2007
- Takayuki Nakahara2006–2006
- Takuya Muguruma2006–2007
Toshihiro Matsushita2006–2009
Jun Marques Davidson2007–2009- Kazuya Myodo2007–2008
- Masaki Fukai2007–2007
- Masataka Sakamoto2007–2007
- Mitsuru Chiyotanda2007–2009
Márcio Richardes2007–2010- Naoto Matsuo2007–2009
- Takaya Kurokawa2007–2007
- Alessandro Nunes2008–2008
- Ayato Hasebe2008–2011
- Daisuke Suzuki2008–2012
Davi Rodrigues de Jesus2008–2008- Fumiya Kogure2008–2014
- Kengo Kawamata2008–2014
- Luís Augusto2008–2008
- Takaya Kurokawa2008–2016
- Yuji Unozawa2008–2009
Bruno Suzuki2009–2012
Cho Young-cheol2009–2011- Gilton Ribeiro2009–2009
- Hideo Oshima2009–2011
- Kazuya Myodo2009–2010
- Keiji Watanabe2009–2009
Masaaki Higashiguchi2009–2013
Pedro Júnior2009–2009- Ryota Doi2009–2010
- Yūta Mikado2009–2013
- Éverton Santos2009–2009
Daigo Nishi2010–2010- Fagner Ribeiro da Costa2010–2010
- João Paulo2010–2011
Michael Jefferson Nascimento2010–2012
Musashi Okuyama2010–2013- Takahiro Takagi2010–2010
- Yohei Iwasaki2010–2011
- Yoshiyuki Kobayashi2010–2012
- Anderson Gonzaga2011–2013
Bruno Lopes2011–2011- Hideaki Ozawa2011–2012
- Naoki Ishikawa2011–2012
- Naoya Kikuchi2011–2013
Seiya Fujita2011–2014- Yohei Takeda2011–2011
Yusuke Murakami2011–2013- Alan Mineiro2012–2012
- Bruno Lopes2012–2012
- Kenji Koyano2012–2013
- Kentaro Oi2012–2015
Kim Jin-su2012–2014- Kisho Yano2012–2012
- Musashi Suzuki2012–2015
- Shoki Hirai2012–2012
- Shusuke Tsubouchi2012–2014
- Taisuke Nakamura2012–2012
- Akihiko Takeshige2013–2013
- Hideya Okamoto2013–2014
- Kim Kun-hoan2013–2013
- Leonardo Moreira2013–2013
Léo Silva2013–2016
Mizuki Hamada2013–2013- Roger Gaúcho2013–2014
Kosuke Yamamoto2014–2015- Rafael Silva2014–2016
- Takashi Amano2014–2014
Rafael Ratão2015–2015- Yuhei Sato2015–2015
- Frank Romero2016–2018
- Isao Homma2017–2017
- Shunsuke Mori2017–2020
- Teruki Hara2017–2018
- Ryōma Watanabe2018–2020
- Thalles Lima de Conceição Penha2018–2018
- Frank Romero2020–2021
Jong Tae-se2020–2020- Thomas Deng2022–2025
Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan, known for its rich history and local support.
The club competes in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese football, showcasing its competitive spirit.
Originally founded as Niigata Eleven SC in 1955, the club underwent several name changes before becoming Albirex Niigata in 1997.
Biography
Formation
Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan, with roots tracing back to 1955 when it was founded as Niigata Eleven SC. Initially an amateur team, it competed in regional leagues and built a strong local following in the Hokuriku region. As Japanese football began to professionalize in the 1990s, the club underwent significant restructuring to meet the new standards. In 1996, it adopted the name Albireo Niigata, a nod to the bright star in the Cygnus constellation, symbolizing the club's ambition and connection to Niigata's identity as the "City of Stars." The name was further simplified to Albirex Niigata in 1997.
Breakthrough
Albirex Niigata made its entry into the Japan Football League in 1998 and transitioned into the newly formed J2 League in 1999. The club showed promise, coming close to promotion in 2001 and 2002. Their breakthrough came in the 2003 season when they won the J2 League title, securing their first promotion to the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese football.
Establishing in J1
After their promotion, Albirex Niigata enjoyed a lengthy period of stability in the J1 League from 2004 to 2016. The club established itself as a competitive team in Japan's top football division, contributing to the growth of football in the region and fostering a dedicated fan base. Their journey reflects the evolution of Japanese football and the club's commitment to excellence on and off the pitch.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
Origins and early development (1955–1997)
Albirex Niigata traces its origins to 1955 when the club was founded as Niigata Eleven SC, an amateur football team based in Niigata. Over the following decades, the club competed in regional leagues and gradually developed a strong local following in the Hokuriku region. In the 1990s, as Japanese football moved towards professionalisation, the club began restructuring in order to meet the requirements of professional competition. In 1996, the team adopted the name Albireo Niigata, combining the Latin word albus (white) with rex (king), referencing the bright star Albireo in the Cygnus constellation. The new name symbolised the club's ambition and connection to Niigata's identity as the "City of Stars". Two years later in 1997, the club name was changed to Albirex Niigata.
Entry into the J.League and promotion to J1 (1998–2003)
In 1998, Albirex Niigata joined the Japan Football League, and was merged into the J2 League after its creation in 1999. The team gradually became competitive and in 2001 and 2002 it came close to getting promoted to J1. Albirex Niigata breakthrough came in the 2003 season when Albirex Niigata won the J2 League title. The championship secured the club's first promotion to the top tier of Japanese football, the J1 League.
Establishing themselves in J1 (2004–2016)
Following promotion, Albirex Niigata enjoyed a long period of stability in the J1 League. The club remained in the top…
- League
- J1 League
Legacy
Bold is for those competition that are currently active or meant for professional leagues.
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently compete in J2 League, the second division in the Japanese football league pyramid.
All links
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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