Jackson Irvine leaves FC St. Pauli and joins Cerezo Osaka. Why there's hardly a better destination for him than Japan.
When Jackson Irvine posted holiday photos from Japan a few weeks ago, including some from Osaka, it looked like a summer break. In hindsight, it can be read as a scouting trip to his new home. The long-serving FC St. Pauli captain leaves the Millerntor after five years and joins Cerezo Osaka in the Japanese J.League.
Why Jackson Irvine and Japan are made for each other
The holiday photos were only the latest clue. Anyone following Irvine on Instagram has known about his love for Japan for a while: Japan shirts had been appearing on his feed well before this summer.
His words on the move sound suitably excited. Japan is “the hottest football nation in the world,” Irvine says in his new club's announcement, adding that he is looking forward to a new culture and a new way of life. The wish to move came from him: after returning from the World Cup, he asked St. Pauli to make the transfer to Japan happen. By the club's own account, they only let him go after intensive talks.
At Cerezo, Irvine will wear the number 36, his number from his days at Celtic, Ross County, Burton Albion, Hull City and Hibernian. In Osaka, something continues for him that began long before this summer.
Five years at St. Pauli: captain, promotion, principles
Irvine arrived at the Millerntor in 2021 and quickly became a figure of identification. From 2022 he wore the captain's armband, and in 2024 he led St. Pauli back to the Bundesliga. His final tally: 153 competitive matches, 15 goals and 21 assists. At the 2026 World Cup, he played all four of Australia's games and reached the round of 32 with the Socceroos.
What made him a fan favourite, though, was above all what happened off the pitch: tattoos, vintage shirts and clear stances, whether for LGBTQ rights or against discrimination. In German football, that made him one of a kind, tailor-made for a club like St. Pauli.
Now this kind of footballer moves on, to a country whose football and pop culture he has long loved. The holiday photos from Osaka, at any rate, have earned themselves a new caption in hindsight: first shots of his new home.
