‘Keiser’ Keisuke Honda to hold court in Singapore Premier League after signing for FC Jurong

SINGAPORE – Six-time Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions Albirex Niigata have pulled off a major transfer coup, after announcing on April 10 the signing of former Japan international Keisuke Honda for the 2026-27 season.

The Straits Times understands that the club, who will be renamed FC Jurong in 2026, have inked an initial one-season deal with the 39-year-old, who has 98 caps and 37 goals, including four goals across three World Cups (2010, 2014 and 2018).

The attacking midfielder, who retired from international football in 2018, said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to play for FC Jurong. As I turn 40 this year, I am pursuing several personal challenges, including a Guinness World Record for scoring in the most countries’ top leagues.

“However, my primary goal with this club is to win the league title. There are a couple of very strong rivals, so it will be a tough challenge, but I am determined to achieve it.”

Known to be a winner on the pitch, Honda’s first senior stint was at J.League side Nagoya Grampus before he moved to the Netherlands, where VVV-Venlo fans nicknamed him Keizer Keisuke (Emperor Keisuke) as he helped them win the second division and earn promotion to the top tier in 2009.

In 2011, he was named the Asian Cup Most Valuable Player after leading Japan to the continental title, before winning trophies with Russia’s CSKA Moscow, Italy’s AC Milan, Azerbaijan’s Neftci PFK and Bhutan’s Paro FC, the last club he played at in 2024.

The well-travelled player was also on the books of Mexico’s Pachuca, Australia’s Melbourne Victory, Brazil’s Botafogo and Lithuania’s Suduva. He has netted in all 10 countries he has played in, failing to score only with Dutch side Vitesse in a four-game stint in 2019.

Meanwhile, he also managed the Cambodia national team from 2018 to 2023. In 2024, he launched his venture capital firm X&KSK and raised 15 billion yen (S$120 million) from blue-chip investors, including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Strategic Business Innovator, according to business magazine Forbes.

Honda’s affinity with Singapore began in 2015, when Japan were shut out by the Lions in a World Cup qualifier in Saitama, before they exacted revenge with a 3-0 win later that year.

As early as 2019, he has been training with Albirex at the Jurong East Stadium. It is understood that Honda, his wife and three children have set up home in Singapore, and at least one son trains at a local academy.

In a previous interview with The Sunday Times in 2025, he said he keeps fit with six personal sessions every week and trains once a month with the White Swans. He added then that he was open to playing in the SPL and getting involved in Singapore football projects.

ST understands that BG Tampines Rovers – whose vice-chairman and sporting director, former Albirex player Tadanari Lee, was Honda’s international teammate in 2011 and 2012 – were also in the race to sign the blond-haired attacker.

Albirex chairman Daisuke Korenaga said Honda will help “build an unshakeable foundation for this club”.

He added: “To build a great castle, you need a solid cornerstone. Into that cornerstone, we pour world-class experience, vision, and passion.

“Together with Keisuke Honda, we are determined to build a legacy that will carry this club forward for the next 100 years.

“Everything is for victory. And everything is for a future far beyond today. Now, the project begins.”

The marquee signing has made waves in the Japanese and Malaysian media, and the local football fraternity is also buzzing.

Albirex winger Nicky Melvin Singh, who grew up watching Honda play, never imagined he would be teammates with “a legend of the game”.

The 23-year-old, who was with the Young Lions at the 2023 SEA Games, witnessed Honda’s football IQ up close while he was in Cambodia’s corner.

He said: “Having a player of his calibre in the dressing room will naturally raise the bar for everyone. He has joined us for a few sessions and the first thing you notice is how humble and professional he is.

“You would not know he has been away from competitive football for a while because his touch and awareness are still world-class. He reads the game two or three steps ahead of everyone else.

“What is most impressive is that his hunger has not faded. He still has that raw determination to improve every day, which is incredible to see first-hand.”

Calling the move a “statement signing”, Albirex fan club Swan Army’s founder Amir Hamizan added: “We are absolutely excited to see a Japanese superstar play for our team.

“Despite his age, we believe class is permanent and he can still contribute to the team with his technical abilities.”

Even their rivals hailed Honda’s impending arrival, as Balestier Khalsa skipper Madhu Mohana, who faced him in both of the Lions’ matches against Japan in 2015, said: “I’m sure after he failed to score against us in Saitama, he will feel like he has unfinished business with Singapore football, even if he did score in the return match.

“But seriously, it is definitely good for the SPL and Singapore football to have someone of his profile join the league. Hopefully, with the attention that follows him, he can help increase awareness and attract more sponsors and fans for the league.”

While he is arguably one of the biggest names to join the SPL, Honda is not the first footballer with World Cup pedigree to play in the Republic’s professional football league.

In the 1990s, Geylang United had Iranians Hamid Reza Estili and Mohammad Khakpour – the pair would go on to play for their nation at the France World Cup in 1998 – while Tiong Bahru United had Cameroonian Emile Mbouh. In 2023, Lion City Sailors signed Australia’s Bailey Wright.

In 2013, the S-League encouraged clubs to sign high-profile players under a marquee scheme – where they were not subject to the league’s salary cap. This saw players like ex-Moroccan international forward Monsef Zerka, former South Korea midfielder Lee Kwan-woo, and Honda’s ex-Japan teammate Kazuyuki Toda feature here.

In recent years, the Sailors also recruited Belgium’s Maxime Lestienne and former Dutch international Bart Ramselaar who both have Champions League experience, as well as former South Korea skipper Kim Shin-wook.

Other famous footballers who plied their trade here include English Premier League alumni like Grant Holt, who was with Sengkang Marine in 2001, and former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant who signed for Tampines in 2016. There was also 2011 Asian Cup final match winner Lee, who won the SPL title with Albirex in 2022 and 2023.

Earlier in the week, Korenaga also announced that his club would be renamed FC Jurong in the 2026-27 season, instead of Albirex Jurong which was previously announced, “after extensive discussions with our stakeholders”.

He said: “We have come to the conclusion that the club must put down deeper roots in this region and pursue a greater level of localisation. The name change is one important expression of that commitment.

“A club’s name is more than just a label – it is a statement of where we stand, who we walk alongside, and which community we are building our future with. The name FC Jurong carries our heartfelt desire to grow with this town, to be needed by this town, and to be a club this town is proud to call its own.

“We will continue to build on our community-driven efforts, and we remain committed to becoming a club that is truly loved by the community.”