Gamba Osaka captain Yasuhito Endo was named the 2014 J. League Player of the Year on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old Japan midfielder helped engineer the biggest turnaround in league history, Gamba erasing a 14-point deficit to finish one point ahead of Urawa Reds to capture their second championship and first since 2005.

Endo appeared in all 34 games and scored six goals in winning his first season MVP for Gamba, who were in the relegation zone at 16th going into the World Cup break. But after the restart, Kenta Hasegawa's side was a different team, winning 15 of 20 games and losing just twice.