The J. League will draw from its considerable network of foreign former players under a new global ambassador program intended to promote the competition overseas.
Two of the four ambassadors, former Kashima Antlers legend Zico and former Urawa Reds player and manager Guido Buchwald, joined league chairman Mitsuo Murai on Thursday to discuss the program in a news conference at JFA House in downtown Tokyo.
Introducing the pair, Murai noted that as of the end of the 2017 season over 1,200 foreign players had belonged to J. League clubs, including 362 with international experience and 21 World Cup winners.