Cerezo Osaka, abbreviated as "Osaka Sakura" in Japanese, was established in 1957 and is located in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It originated from the Yanmar Diesel Football Club.
This team, named after the cherry blossom, the city flower of Osaka ("Cerezo" means cherry blossom in Spanish), won the Japan Soccer League championship in 1994 and officially joined the J.League in 1995. Cerezo Osaka's journey in the J.League has been full of ups and downs, having been promoted and relegated multiple times between J1 and J2. They were relegated to J2 in 2001 and 2006, but returned to the top league as runners-up in 2009. In 2013, the team performed impressively, finishing 4th in the league and qualifying for the AFC Champions League for the first time, but after heavily investing in stars like Diego Forlán and Kaká in 2014, their performance declined, ultimately leading to relegation.
The team returned to J1 in 2016 through the playoffs and had a breakout year in 2017, winning the club's first-ever League Cup and Emperor's Cup. In 2018, they defeated Kawasaki Frontale to lift the Japanese Super Cup, achieving a remarkable haul of honors. The team's mascot is a pair of wolf mother and child, the young Lobby and the elegant Madame Lobina, symbolizing nobility, bravery, and elegance.