Japanese Players in Europe's Top Leagues

In the pool. Japan is the 26th best represented country across the 32 we cover, at 0.9 percent of every player in the game.

What they produce. 61.5 percent of Japanese players here are midfielders, against 32.0 percent across the whole pool. That is a real skew, and it is worth remembering when the position clue narrows before the country one does. More of this in which countries produce the most goalkeepers and forwards.

Age range. From Ryūnosuke Satō at 19 (Valencia) to Wataru Endo at 33 (Liverpool). The age clue goes yellow within two years, so opening at either end of that span tells you a lot in one move.

Clue tip. The Country clue turns yellow for a different country on the same continent, so a yellow Country against a Japanese guess points somewhere else in Asia. Full rules in the clue guide.