Vissel Kobe Win J1-League For the First Time in Club's History

Picture Source: J-League

Zila Mbekela

The football/soccer community within Japan was handed a hefty surprise this past weekend, after it was confirmed that Vissel Kobe were indeed the new J1-League Champions, for the 2023 season. Nobody and absolutely no one, could have foreseen this coming. Literally, last season, this was the same team that was fighting to avoid relegation as they spent the majority of that season- in last place. Things were looking really 'grim' for the team and super star players such as Iniesta, were not effective at all. Uncomfortable changes needed to be made and some came at the cost of losing Marquee players.

Kobe's coach made a brave move by acquiring defenders during the winter transfer window of 2022. Making such key acquisitions during the off-season proved to be a great strategy as these players were given ample time to settle into their new surroundings. Japan is one of the 'toughest' countries to adapt and adjust to. Based on the fact that the country has a very low English proficiency, communication becomes a major barrier for overseas players that have never been exposed to the Japanese language. Over the years, things have gotten a little bit better as most teams within Japanese professional sports-hire translators to try and bridge the communication gap. It works, up until a certain point. Nonetheless, the new recruits got straight to work and brought a new sense of positive energy along with them.

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Vissel Kobe documented their off-season journey by posting video content on their YouTube Channel. Every training session became a reflection of how things were gradually improving within their camp. One could tell that this was a team that was not prepared to have back-to-back dismal seasons. Being almost relegated really shook them up! I would say that what helped the team turn it all around- was how they started their 2023 season campaign off. They had an amazing start by going on a 'hot' winning streak, from the beginning. Everybody thought that it would come to a quick end. However, with every victory, their confidence grew. The coach also had to make a very tough decision by leaving out the team's highest paid player- Andres Iniesta, out of the starting 11. The Spanish legend was allegedly earning around $30,000,000 USD per season and making him the highest paid player in the league. It made no financial sense for the club to keep a player like that on their roster and not start him. He came off the bench and made an impact every time he took the field, but one could see that he wasn't happy about it. Finally, after 5 seasons in Japan and while the team was doing very well, Iniesta and Vissle Kobe parted ways during the summer transfer window. The team's new star player- Yuya Osaku has been in top form and scored enough goals to be considered for the 2023 league MVP!

It had been one 'heck' of a journey for this team as they continued to battle it out for the number one spot within the J1-League competition. Last season's league winners-Yokohama F. Marinos did their best in trying to retain the title for 2023. They were also first on the log, at some point during the season, however, the points in goal difference ended up being in favor of Vissel Kobe. As it stands, Marinos will finish the season as runners-up. Great effort by both teams as it really became 'must see TV' when these two teams played against each other for the top-of-the-able clash. Vissel Kobe will surely be celebrating until early December because this is their very first J1-League championship title in the history of the club! It's a 'massive' milestone for them. Everybody enjoys a 'fairytale' story, and the 2023 J1-Leauge season was exactly that for Kobe. Congratulations are definitely in order!