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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 | |
Yasuo Manaka spent his entire career as an offensive substitute -- the "first man off the bench", responsible for creating instant offence at a moment's notice, with little chance to prepare or "get into the flow" of a match. While this role limited his numbers in terms of career appearances and goals, probably no player in league history has ever excelled in this unique role in the way that Manaka did. Manaka was something of a late bloomer, as well, spending several seasons on the bench of the Kashima Antlers, and making only brief appearances late in matches. But even at this early stage of his career, Manaka had the ability to produce fireworks within moments of coming onto the pitch. By 1998, he was already 27 years old and had yet to play in his 100th league match. Yet these figures are deceptive. Not only did Manaka have two league championship rings on his fingers, but he also had developed a reputation as a clutch player in crucial situations. For example, in 1996 Manaka scored only five goals -- all five of them were the match-winning tally, and four were golden goals, scored in extra time. It was following a mid-career move to Cerezo Osaka that Manaka truly came into his own as a creater of "instant offence". Once again, his role on the team was mainly limited to substitution duty, but Manaka became a legend in Osaka for his ability to come onto the pitch and bring down sudden bolts of lightning. The highlight of his career, and the untouchable benchmark for success as a late offensive substitute, came on July 14, 2001, in a match against Kashiwa Reysol. Cerezo were down 0-2 with about 15 minutes left to play, and had just won a free kick at midfield. Manaka stood on the sidelines and waited for his teammate to get off the pitch and the referee to blow his whistle. The second he stepped onto the field of play, Manaka put his head down and began sprinting furiously for goal. Teammate Hiroaki Morishima spotted him instantly and sent a towering free kick towards the left edge of the box. The ball bounded once, and as it came down a second time, Manaka met it with a thundering volley that screeched into the far side of the net. In less than five seconds of playing time, Manaka had put his team back into the contest. But the show was not over. Reysol put the ball back in play, and as soon as his team won possession, Manaka was off once more. Again, a long lead pass found him, and he barrelled through the defence to drive another shot into the nylon. The Reysol players were blown away, and suddenly seemed unable to do anything right. Again Cerezo broke up their attack and again launched a galloping counterattack. Exactly four minutes and 27 seconds after taking the field, Manaka finished off his third goal-scoring attack of the day, setting a record for the fastest hat trick in history. This performance, as a substitute, still stands as the mark of excellence for a substitute player in any league in the world! Manaka would continue to provide this sort of excitement for another three years, but at the end of 2004, following a season with J2 strugglers Yokohama FC, Manaka finally hung up his cleats and entered retirement. But the excitement he provided in the late climaxes of matches throughout his career made him perhaps the most valuable 12th man in J.League history.
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