Player Watch · Aug 25, 2026
Koki Ogawa comes home: World Cup scorer joins J1 leaders Machida Zelvia in a record deal
Nobody saw this one coming. Koki Ogawa, who scored for us against the Netherlands at this summer's World Cup, has completed a permanent transfer from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen to J1 League leaders FC Machida Zelvia, three years after he left Japan for Europe. "I'm very happy to fight as a member of FC Machida Zelvia," Ogawa said in the club's announcement. "I'll do my best to score plenty of goals and help us win the title." Japanese outlets report the fee at around 370 million yen, with a salary that would make him the highest paid domestic player in J1 history, though the club has not confirmed the numbers itself. Ogawa leaves NEC with 33 goals in 92 appearances and 14 caps for Samurai Blue. He's 29, he's coming home to a title race, and the timing could not be better with Kirin Challenge Cup dates on the calendar this September.