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Team Index Albirex Niigata Kashima Antlers Omiya Ardija Avispa Fukuoka Shonan Bellmare Cerezo Osaka Consadole Sapporo Ehime FC Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Nagoya Grampus Gifu FC Mito Hollyhock JEF United Jubilo Iwata Yokohama Marinos Montedio Yamagata Urawa Reds Kashiwa Reysol Roasso Kumamoto Sagan Tosu Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kyoto Sanga Shimizu S-Pulse Thespa Kusatsu FC Tokyo Oita Trinita Vegalta Sendai Ventforet Kofu Tokyo Verdy Vissel Kobe Tokushima Vortis Yokohama FC | |
Yasuto Honda is one of several Antlers players who joined the team from Honda Giken Football Club when the J.League was founded. Honda had been a powerhouse in the former JSL, but chose not to turn into a professional club and enter the J.League. Most of the team's top players left the team at that point, and many of them ended up playing for the Antlers. The last one to retire from active duty was Honda, who owes his longevity as much to his effectiveness as a respected leader in the locker room as he did to his footballing skills. Honda's career included over 80 matches in the JSL, taking his total number of appearances past the 400 level and putting him in the company of only a handful of other J.League players Honda's skills were always somewhat questionable, but he was able to make up for this with tremendous hustle, and even saw a lot of action with the national team in his earlier days. He received his first NT cap in 1994, not long after the disastrous "Agony at Doha", and at a time that Japan was trying to rebuild its NT. He continued to play a role until just before the 1998 World Cup, and collected a total of 34 NT caps, with one goal. Most important, however, was Honda's contribution in the locker room. He was always viewed as one of the most inspirational players in the Antlers, which is saying quite a bit. During the glory years, when Kashima was winning many of its titles, Honda frequently wore the captain's armband, particularly when Yutaka Akita was out of the lineup. His good nature and intense competitiveness made him extremely popular with his teammates, and when he was brought on as a substitute in the final regular season match of his career, to take a penalty kick, players on both teams joined the crowd to applaud his curtain call -- a performance which netted only the fourth goal of his playing career. Though that statistic shows that he was not much of a scorer, he relished his reputation as a combative defensive midfielder, and was happy to leave the "glory" to others. When asked once what sort of player he considered himself to be, he responded: "I want to be the person that opponents MOST hate to see, between them and the goal." Certainly that is an accurate and fitting tribute to his J.League career
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