Urawa Reds defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka and teammate and joint league-leading scorer Washington have been named among 28 nominees for the J. League Player of the Year award, league officials said Tuesday.
Both men played pivotal roles in bringing Urawa their first championship title earlier this month, while Magno Alves, who matched former Brazil strike partner Washington with 26 goals, was one of seven players named from Gamba Osaka.
Four players from league runnerup Kawasaki Frontale, including influential midfielder Kengo Nakamura, were also on the list.
A total of nine Urawa players earned nominations, the most among the 18 first-division teams.
The Player of the Year will be announced at the J. League Awards ceremony on Dec. 18.