1998 J.League

6th season of J1 League J.League 1998 Kashima Antlers2nd J.League title Consadole Sapporo Asian Club Championship Kashima AntlersJúbilo Iwata Masashi Nakayama (36 goals) 306 1074 53,598 – Flügels vs. Marinos (September 15) 2,091 – Vissel vs. JEF Utd. (October 14) 11,982 1997 1999 The 1998 J.League season was the sixth season of the J.League. The league began in March 21 and ended in November 14. For this year, the division was contested by 18 teams. Júbilo Iwata won the first stage and Kashima Antlers won the second stage. Kashima Antlers won the J.League title after winning both matches in the Suntory Championship. Clubs 1998 J. League kits The following 18 clubs participated in J.League during the 1998 season.Balitskiy Andrei 2020-09-17 Japan 1998 https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/jap98.html 2026-08-04 RSSSF Of these clubs, Consadole Sapporo was the only newly promoted team from Japan Football League.Balitskiy Andrei 2021-03-04 Japan 1997 https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/jap96.html 2026-08-04 RSSSF Avispa Fukuoka Bellmare Hiratsuka Cerezo Osaka Consadole Sapporo Image:Arrowupgreen.png Gamba Osaka JEF United Ichihara Júbilo Iwata Kashima Antlers Kashiwa Reysol Kyoto Purple Sanga Nagoya Grampus Eight Sanfrecce Hiroshima Shimizu S-Pulse Urawa Red Diamonds Verdy Kawasaki Vissel Kobe Yokohama Flügels Yokohama Marinos Personnel Club Head coachAvispa Fukuoka JPN Takaji MoriBellmare Hiratsuka JPN Shigeharu UekiCerezo Osaka JPN Yasutaro MatsukiConsadole Sapporo URU Hugo FernándezGamba Osaka FRA Frédéric AntonettiJEF United Ichihara NED Jan VersleijenJúbilo Iwata BRA Valmir LouruzKashima Antlers BRA Zé MárioKashiwa Reysol JPN Akira NishinoKyoto Purple Sanga JPN Hidehiko ShimizuNagoya Grampus Eight JPN Koji TanakaSanfrecce Hiroshima SCO Eddie ThomsonShimizu S-Pulse ARG Osvaldo ArdilesUrawa Red Diamonds JPN Hiromi HaraVerdy Kawasaki JPN Ryoichi KawakatsuVissel Kobe JPN Harumi KoriYokohama Flügels GER Gert EngelsYokohama Marinos ESP Xabier Azkargorta Foreign players Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Non-visa foreign Former players Avispa Fukuoka Brazil Fernando FR Yugoslavia Dragan Đukanović FR Yugoslavia Miodrag Božović Paraguay Juan Carlos Villamayor Brazil Marcos AurélioNigeria Michael ObikuSpain Pablo Maqueda Bellmare Hiratsuka Brazil Cláudio Brazil Ricardinho Romania Pavel Badea South Korea Hong Myung-bo South Korea Park Kyung-hwan Cerezo Osaka Brazil Pericles Brazil Pintado FR Yugoslavia Radivoje Manić South Korea Hwang Sun-hong South Korea Ha Seok-juSouth Korea Ko Jeong-woon Consadole Sapporo Argentina Hugo Maradona Brazil Pereira Brazil Walter Panama Jorge Dely Valdés Netherlands Dido Havenaar Gamba Osaka FR Yugoslavia Anto Drobnjak FR Yugoslavia Nebojša Krupniković French Guiana football Claude Dambury Slovenia Amir Karić Cameroon Patrick MbomaMacedonia Boban Babunski JEF United Ichihara Australia Matthew Bingley FR Yugoslavia Nenad Maslovar Netherlands Arnold Scholten South Korea Kim Dae-eui South Korea Kim Hwang-jung Júbilo Iwata Brazil Adilson Batista Brazil Dedimar Brazil Dunga Brazil Alessandro Cambalhota Kashima Antlers Brazil Bismarck Brazil Jorginho Brazil Mazinho Brazil Ricardo Kashiwa Reysol Brazil Basílio Brazil Bentinho Brazil Buiú Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov Brazil DudaBrazil Elpídio SilvaBrazil Marcão Kyoto Purple Sanga Brazil Edmílson Matias Brazil Junior Brazil Paulo Silas South Korea Park Kang-jo Nagoya Grampus Eight Brazil Alexandre Torres FR Yugoslavia Dragan Stojković France Bernard Allou Netherlands Tarik Oulida Bolivia Ko Ishikawa Brazil Valdo Sanfrecce Hiroshima Australia Aurelio Vidmar Australia Hayden Foxe Australia Tony Popovic England Don Goodman Australia Graham ArnoldEngland Ian Crook Shimizu S-Pulse Argentina Fernando Oliva Brazil Fabinho Brazil Santos Brazil Alex Urawa Red Diamonds FR Yugoslavia Željko Petrović Italy Giuseppe Zappella Spain Txiki Begiristain Netherlands Alfred Nijhuis Verdy Kawasaki Brazil Daniel da Silva Brazil Fumagalli Brazil Henrique Brazil Moacir Brazil EullerCameroon Edwin Ifeanyi Vissel Kobe South Korea Ha Seok-ju South Korea Kim Do-hoon Spain Albert Tomàs Ghana Michael Yano Australia Matthew BingleyFederal Republic of Yugoslavia Budimir Vujačić Yokohama Flügels Brazil César Sampaio Portugal Marco Ferreira Portugal Paulo Futre Russia Igor Lediakhov Brazil Anderson Gils Yokohama Marinos Bolivia Julio César Baldivieso FR Yugoslavia Dušan Petković Spain Jon Andoni Goikoetxea Spain Julio Salinas Standings First stage main WL OT y y 0 JÚB Shizuoka Prefecture Júbilo Iwata SSP Shizuoka Prefecture Shimizu S-Pulse GRA Aichi Prefecture Nagoya Grampus Eight FMA Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Marinos ANT Ibaraki Prefecture Kashima Antlers VER Tokyo Verdy Kawasaki RED Saitama Prefecture Urawa Red Diamonds FLÜ Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Flügels CER Osaka Prefecture Cerezo Osaka REY Chiba Prefecture Kashiwa Reysol JEF Chiba Prefecture JEF United Ichihara BEL Kanagawa Prefecture Bellmare Hiratsuka SFR Hiroshima Prefecture Sanfrecce Hiroshima GAM Osaka Prefecture Gamba Osaka SAN Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto Purple Sanga CON Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo VIS Hyōgo Prefecture Vissel Kobe SPA Fukuoka Prefecture Avispa Fukuoka 13 0 0 0 4 0 52 18 13 0 0 0 4 0 32 14 9 3 0 1 4 0 37 21 10 1 0 0 5 1 39 21 10 1 0 0 6 0 41 28 10 0 0 1 5 1 34 25 8 1 2 0 5 1 30 23 7 2 1 0 7 0 33 32 7 1 0 0 8 1 36 47 6 1 2 0 7 1 32 35 7 0 0 0 8 2 31 31 5 2 1 0 8 1 27 34 5 2 0 1 7 2 22 33 4 2 1 0 9 1 27 29 4 2 0 0 8 3 20 33 3 1 0 3 8 2 28 44 3 0 0 0 13 1 20 48 2 0 1 2 10 2 22 47 complete RSSSF Second stage main WL OT y y 0 ANT Kashima Antlers JÚB Júbilo Iwata RED Urawa Red Diamonds FMA Yokohama Marinos SSP Shimizu S-Pulse GRA Nagoya Grampus Eight FLÜ Yokohama Flügels REY Kashiwa Reysol SFR Sanfrecce Hiroshima CON Consadole Sapporo SAN Kyoto Purple Sanga BEL Bellmare Hiratsuka CER Cerezo Osaka VIS Vissel Kobe SPA Avispa Fukuoka GAM Gamba Osaka VER Verdy Kawasaki JEF JEF United Ichihara 12 3 0 0 2 0 38 15 13 0 0 0 3 1 55 21 11 0 0 0 4 2 32 17 10 1 0 0 3 3 40 27 8 3 1 1 4 0 39 21 9 1 1 0 5 1 34 26 8 0 1 0 8 0 37 32 8 0 1 1 6 1 24 26 7 1 1 1 6 1 23 19 8 0 0 1 7 1 29 30 6 2 1 0 8 0 27 30 7 0 1 0 9 0 26 32 7 0 0 1 9 0 20 32 5 0 1 0 10 1 25 41 4 1 0 0 12 0 11 38 3 2 0 1 11 0 20 32 3 0 0 1 12 1 13 28 1 0 1 1 12 2 18 44 complete RSSSF Playoffs Suntory Championship November 21, 1998 14:04 Júbilo Iwata 1 – 2 Kashima Antlers Nakayama 7 Hasegawa 72Muroi 110 Japan National Stadium, Tokyo 40,263 Masayoshi Okada November 28, 1998 19:35 Kashima Antlers 2 – 1 Júbilo Iwata Akita 39 Bismarck 41 Fujita 84 Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima 16,991 Leslie Mottram Relegation playoffs On the aggregate table, JEF United Ichihara, Avispa Fukuoka, and Vissel Kobe had earned within the 15th-18th places in the tables for both 1997 and 1998, while Consadole Sapporo had achieved within the same span on its sole season on the J.League. (Gamba Osaka, who had finished between Sapporo and Kobe, was reprieved because of the collapse and resignation of Yokohama Flügels.) These clubs thus were entered in an elimination promotion/relegation tournament along with Japan Football League runners-up Kawasaki Frontale, who unlike champions Tokyo Gas had a base more qualifiable for the J.League. First round November 19, 1998 Avispa Fukuoka 3–2 (a.e.t.) Kawasaki Frontale Kudo 24' Yamashita 89'Fernando 104 Ito 17'Tuto 61' Hakata no Mori Football Stadium, Fukuoka 12,535 Alfredo Rodas Kawasaki forms J.League Division 2 the next season. Fukuoka advances to the next round. Second round The winners of this round stay in J.League Division 1 and the losers play a final elimination series to determine the club relegated to Division 2. November 22, 1998 Vissel Kobe 2–1 Consadole Sapporo Nagashima 34' (pen.) Kaimoto 41' Tanada 50' Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe 14,613 November 26, 1998Time Consadole Sapporo 0–2 Vissel Kobe Tomàs 48'Watada 89' Muroran Irie Stadium, Muroran 4,525 Alfredo Rodas November 22, 1998 Avispa Fukuoka 0–2 JEF United Ichihara Takeda 65'Scholten 76' Hakata no Mori Football Stadium, Fukuoka 12,300 Leslie Mottram November 26, 1998 JEF United Ichihara 2–1 Avispa Fukuoka Suzuki 49'Sakai 60' Mori 63' Ichihara Stadium, Ichihara 10,703 Final round December 2, 1998 Avispa Fukuoka 1–0 Consadole Sapporo Ueno 61' Hakata no Mori Football Stadium, Fukuoka 12,526 Alfredo Rodas December 5, 1998 Consadole Sapporo 0–3 Avispa Fukuoka Ueno 52' Fernando 84' Ishimaru 89' Muroran Irie Stadium, Muroran 8,372 Leslie Mottram Fukuoka stays in J.League Division 1. Consadole is relegated to new J.League Division 2. Awards Individual awards AwardRecipientClubMost Valuable PlayerJPN Masashi NakayamaJúbilo IwataRookie of the YearJPN Shinji OnoUrawa Red DiamondsManager of the YearARG Osvaldo ArdilesShimizu S-PulseTop ScorerJPN Masashi NakayamaJúbilo Iwata J.LEAGUE Digital Data Book Best Eleven PosFootballerClubNationalityGKSeigo NarazakiYokohama FlügelsJPNDFMakoto TanakaJúbilo IwataJPNDFNaoki SomaKashima AntlersJPNDFYutaka AkitaKashima AntlersJPNMFDungaJúbilo IwataBRAMFDaisuke OkuJúbilo IwataJPNMFHiroshi NanamiJúbilo IwataJPNMFShinji OnoUrawa Red DiamondsJPNMFToshiya FujitaJúbilo IwataJPNFWAtsushi YanagisawaKashima AntlersJPNFWMasashi NakayamaJúbilo IwataJPN J.LEAGUE Digital Data Book References first 1998 1 Japan