Shinji Kagawa makes first appearance in historic J1 100 Year Vision League

Former Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa is still playing on in Japan.

Shinji Kagawa was one of the late signings of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, signed ahead of the Scottish manager’s final season in 2012/13.

After playing one season under Sir Alex Ferguson and one under David Moyes, Kagawa left United to return to former club Borussia Dortmund.

12 years on from his departure, Shinji Kagawa is taking part in a historic league season in his native Japan, still playing top flight football at the age of 36.

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Shinji Kagawa in Japan

Shinji Kagawa re-signed for Cerezo Osaka in 2023, the club he left in 2010 to sign with Borussia Dortmund.

Kagawa has now made 220 appearances for his club over two spells, with the most recent coming in the J1 100 Year Vision League.

A major change is taking place in Japanese football, which has traditionally always operated from February through to December.

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This has changed in 2026, with Japan changing to a calendar which mirrors European football, starting from August through to May 2027.

While the league transitions between calendars, a separate mini-tournament has been created, the J1 100 Year Vision League.

This is a shortened version of the league, with no relegation, with teams placed into regional East and West categories, before the playoff finals start at the end of May, ahead of the World Cup.

Shinji Kagawa played 90 minutes in Cerezo Osaka’s second game of the tournament, a 2-0 away win over Avispa Fukuoka.

He had been an unused substitute in their opener, a dramatic 5-4 defeat to rivals Gamba Osaka.

Kagawa showed he has still got it, with a superb passing performance that helped his side keep a welcome clean sheet after their defensive struggles in the previous game.

The veteran midfielder scored four goals in 27 appearances in all competitions last season, with Cerezo Osaka finishing in 10th place.

Now in this shortened upcoming campaign, Kagawa will be hoping he can somehow steer his side to his first league title since 2012/13 with Manchester United.

Shinji Kagawa’s post-Manchester United career

Shinji Kagawa signed for Manchester United after leading Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12.

He then made it a hat-trick of title successes with United’s 2012/13 Premier League title success, even if the signing of Robin van Persie dented how he fitted into Ferguson’s vision.

David Moyes’ appointment was bad news for Kagawa, and he re-signed with Dortmund, where he spent a further five years. This spell was spent largely in Bayern’s shadow.

Kagawa had a loan with Besiktas before signing with Real Zaragoza in 2019. He lasted 18 months before signing for Greek club PAOK.

He joined Belgian side Sint-Truiden a year later, before eventually leaving Europe behind to rejoin Cerezo Osaka.

Whether there is more silverware in his future or not, Kagawa has found stability in his career again, and still capable of delivering influential performances.

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