J1 LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid J1 League defenders
Gotoku Sakai is the best-paid defender in the J1 League, on £15,000 a week at Vissel Kobe, or £780,000 a year. Gen Shoji is next on £13,000 at FC Machida Zelvia. We hold wages for 180 J1 League defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £15k
AVERAGE WAGE £3,457
SHARE OF WAGE BILL26%
TOP 10 A WEEK £118k
WAGES HELD180
The 50 best-paid J1 League defenders
Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.
| # | PLAYER | WEEKLY | YEARLY | CLUB | AGE | POSITION | NATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Vissel Kobe | 34 | Full-back | Japan |
| 2 | Gen Shoji | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | FC Machida Zelvia | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 3 | Naomichi Ueda | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Kashima Antlers | 30 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 4 | Boniface Nduka | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Vissel Kobe | 29 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 5 | Ibrahim Dresevic | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | FC Machida Zelvia | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Kosovo |
| 6 | Hiroto Taniguchi | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Kawasaki Frontale | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 7 | Miki Yamane | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Urawa Reds | 31 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 8 | Yuto Nagatomo | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | FC Tokyo | 38 | Full-back, wide midfielder | Japan |
| 9 | Kento Misao | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Kashima Antlers | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 10 | Danilo Boza | £9,400£9k | £488,800£489k | Urawa Reds | 27 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 11 | Filip Uremović | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Kawasaki Frontale | 28 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 12 | Tatsuki Seko | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Urawa Reds | 27 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 13 | Thuler | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Vissel Kobe | 26 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 14 | Diego | £8,400£8k | £436,800£437k | Vissel Kobe | 29 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 15 | Koki Anzai | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | Kashima Antlers | 30 | Left-back | Japan |
| 16 | Kei Koizumi | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | Shimizu S-Pulse | 30 | Right wing-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 17 | Ryoya Ogawa | £7,700£8k | £400,400£400k | Kashima Antlers | 28 | Left-back | Japan |
| 18 | Shinnosuke Nakatani | £7,600£8k | £395,200£395k | Gamba Osaka | 29 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 19 | Taiyo Koga | £7,600£8k | £395,200£395k | Kashiwa Reysol | 26 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 20 | Daihachi Okamura | £7,400£7k | £384,800£385k | FC Machida Zelvia | 28 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 21 | Haruya Fujii | £7,200£7k | £374,400£374k | Nagoya Grampus | 24 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 22 | Katsuya Nagato | £7,000£7k | £364,000£364k | Vissel Kobe | 30 | Left-back | Japan |
| 23 | Ryuta Koike | £6,700£7k | £348,400£348k | Kashima Antlers | 29 | Full-back | Japan |
| 24 | Ayumu Ohata | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Cerezo Osaka | 24 | Left-back | Japan |
| 25 | Dion Cools | £6,400£6k | £332,800£333k | Cerezo Osaka | 29 | Centre-back, right midfielder | Malaysia |
| 26 | Yûta Nakayama | £6,300£6k | £327,600£328k | FC Machida Zelvia | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 27 | Jesiel | £6,100£6k | £317,200£317k | Kawasaki Frontale | 31 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 28 | Kim Ju-Sung | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Sanfrecce | 24 | Centre-back | South Korea |
| 29 | Tomoya Inukai | £5,600£6k | £291,200£291k | Kashiwa Reysol | 32 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 30 | Takaaki Shichi | £5,600£6k | £291,200£291k | Sanfrecce | 31 | Left-back, left midfielder | Japan |
| 31 | Sho Sasaki | £5,600£6k | £291,200£291k | Sanfrecce | 35 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 32 | Tsukasa Shiotani | £5,600£6k | £291,200£291k | Sanfrecce | 36 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 33 | Thomas Deng | £5,600£6k | £291,200£291k | F Marinos | 28 | Centre-back | Australia |
| 34 | Yuki Honda | £5,300£5k | £275,600£276k | Shimizu S-Pulse | 34 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 35 | Hayato Araki | £5,200£5k | £270,400£270k | Sanfrecce | 28 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 36 | Ikuma Sekigawa | £5,100£5k | £265,200£265k | Kashima Antlers | 24 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 37 | Jeisson Quiñónes | £5,100£5k | £265,200£265k | F Marinos | 27 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 38 | Kodjo Aziangbé | £5,100£5k | £265,200£265k | F Marinos | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Togo |
| 39 | Kyohei Noborizato | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Cerezo Osaka | 34 | Left-back, left midfielder | Japan |
| 40 | Kaito Chida | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Kashima Antlers | 30 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 41 | Ryuho Kikuchi | £4,700£5k | £244,400£244k | FC Machida Zelvia | 28 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 42 | Ryotaro Tsunoda | £4,700£5k | £244,400£244k | F Marinos | 26 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 43 | Tomoki Takamine | £4,600£5k | £239,200£239k | Nagoya Grampus | 27 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 44 | Hotaka Nakamura | £4,200£4k | £218,400£218k | FC Machida Zelvia | 27 | Right-back | Japan |
| 45 | Genta Miura | £4,200£4k | £218,400£218k | Gamba Osaka | 30 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 46 | George Onaiwu | £4,200£4k | £218,400£218k | F Marinos | 24 | Right wing-back, right winger | Japan |
| 47 | Kim Tae Hyeon | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Kashima Antlers | 24 | Centre-back | South Korea |
| 48 | Kazuya Miyahara | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Tokyo Verdy 1969 | 29 | Full-back | Japan |
| 49 | Ken Matsubara | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | F Marinos | 32 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 50 | Mateus Brunetti | £3,900£4k | £202,800£203k | Shimizu S-Pulse | 25 | Centre-back | Brazil |
What each position earns in the J1 League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 26% of what the J1 League pays its players of that age. The four shares add up to the whole bill, because a player who plays in two areas gives half the wage to each.
The clubs that pay their defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each J1 League club, added together, a week
Kashima Antlers pay 13 defenders £66,010 a week between them, and Naomichi Ueda takes 20% of it.
The best-paid defender at every J1 League club
21 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vissel Kobe | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | 1 |
| Kashima Antlers | Naomichi Ueda | £13,000£13k | 3 |
| FC Machida Zelvia | Gen Shoji | £13,000£13k | 2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Hiroto Taniguchi | £12,000£12k | 6 |
| Urawa Reds | Miki Yamane | £11,000£11k | 7 |
| FC Tokyo | Yuto Nagatomo | £10,000£10k | 8 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Kei Koizumi | £8,000£8k | 16 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Taiyo Koga | £7,600£8k | 19 |
| Gamba Osaka | Shinnosuke Nakatani | £7,600£8k | 18 |
| Nagoya Grampus | Haruya Fujii | £7,200£7k | 21 |
| Cerezo Osaka | Ayumu Ohata | £6,500£7k | 24 |
| Sanfrecce | Kim Ju-Sung | £6,000£6k | 28 |
| F Marinos | Thomas Deng | £5,600£6k | 33 |
| Tokyo Verdy 1969 | Kazuya Miyahara | £4,000£4k | 48 |
| Avispa | Daiki Miya | £3,400£3k | 58 |
| Sagamihara Topolino | Yuto Suzuki | £3,300£3k | 64 |
| Fagiano Okayama | Kosuke Shirai | £3,000£3k | 71 |
| Kyoto Sanga F.C. | Yoshinori Suzuki | £2,300£2k | 92 |
| Mito Hollyhock | Rei Ieizumi | £1,700£2k | 107 |
| JEF United Chiba | Hinata Kida | £1,200£1k | 130 |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | Ryutaro Iio | £530£530 | 156 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The J1 League ranks 29th.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Kalidou Koulibaly | £497,000£497k | £40,351£40k |
| Premier League | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | £69,840£70k |
| Bundesliga | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | £42,331£42k |
| Ligue 1 | Lucas Hernández | £316,000£316k | £27,702£28k |
| La Liga | João Cancelo | £249,000£249k | £37,418£37k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £36,415£36k |
| Süper Lig | Milan Škriniar | £166,000£166k | £15,078£15k |
| Superleague Greece | Stefan de Vrij | £117,000£117k | £10,420£10k |
| Championship | Kieran Trippier | £115,000£115k | £18,082£18k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £8,088£8k |
| Major League Soccer | Jordi Alba | £85,000£85k | £7,805£8k |
| Scottish Premiership | Ben Godfrey | £80,000£80k | £5,860£6k |
| Primeira Liga | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | £5,910£6k |
| La Liga 2 | David López | £58,000£58k | £4,473£4k |
| Russian Premier League | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | £12,772£13k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | £8,284£8k |
| Belgian Pro League | Matteo Dams | £49,000£49k | £5,133£5k |
| League One | Wes Morgan | £46,000£46k | £5,700£6k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Yannick Gerhardt | £42,000£42k | £8,296£8k |
| Super Liga | Nicolás Otamendi | £41,000£41k | £3,253£3k |
| Danish Superliga | Rasmus Kristensen | £39,000£39k | £5,418£5k |
| Ekstraklasa | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | £2,883£3k |
| Serie B | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | £6,876£7k |
| Czech First League | David Jurásek | £29,000£29k | £1,857£2k |
| Chinese Super League | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | £4,788£5k |
| Liga MX | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | £6,926£7k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Stefan Lainer | £21,000£21k | £4,095£4k |
| Ligue 2 | Frédéric Guilbert | £18,000£18k | £4,556£5k |
| J1 League | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | £3,457£3k |
| Croatian First League | Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel | £15,000£15k | £2,078£2k |
| Thai League | Erik Sviatchenko | £14,000£14k | £2,172£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £1,630£2k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Thomas Foket | £8,600£9k | £1,529£2k |
| League Two | Alfie Dorrington | £8,500£9k | £2,352£2k |
| Categoría Primera A | Frank Fabra | £8,300£8k | £3,994£4k |
| Scottish Championship | Leon King | £8,000£8k | £952£952 |
| A-League | Jacob Farrell | £6,100£6k | £1,262£1k |
| Indian Super League | Anwar Ali | £4,500£5k | £595£595 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,165£1k |
| I-League | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | £547£547 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alfie Cicale | £2,500£3k | £646£646 |
| Canadian Premier League | Curtis Ofori | £1,400£1k | £443£443 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £152£152 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid defender in the J1 League?
Gotoku Sakai of Vissel Kobe, on £15,000 a week in 2026/27, or £780,000 a year. Gen Shoji of FC Machida Zelvia is second on £13,000 a week.
How much do J1 League defenders earn?
The average J1 League defender aged 22 or over earns £3,457 a week, and the median one £2,600. Defenders take 26% of what the J1 League pays its players of that age.
Which J1 League club pays its defenders the most?
Kashima Antlers, £66,010 a week across the 13 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Naomichi Ueda on £13,000.
Who is the highest paid defender in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank defenders in, the best-paid is Kalidou Koulibaly of Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £497,000 a week. The best-paid in the J1 League ranks 29th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same J1 League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid J1 League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what J1 League players are paid at every age, or the J1 League wage bill, club by club.