YOKOHAMA -- Jubilo Iwata may have missed out on the J. League Championship but Jubilo's efforts did not go unrewarded when midfielder Toshiya Fujita and manager Masakazu Suzuki were named the J. League's Player of the Year and Manager of the Year, respectively, on Monday.
Jubilo ended the season with the most points overall (71) with manager Suzuki guiding the team to the first-stage title and second place in the second stage. The team from Shizuoka Prefecture had to play without injured Japan midfielder Hiroshi Nanami in the second stage, but Fujita covered for the absence of his teammate and inspired his team. Fujita played in 26 league games and scored 11 goals for Iwata.
In the annual awards ceremony held at the Yokohama Arena on Monday night, the Best XI awards went to five Jubilo players and five from champion Kashima. Consadole Sapporo's Brazilian forward Will was the winner of the J. League Golden Boot award with 24 goals in 26 appearances.