Rafael Elias was outstanding in August, scoring five goals to help lead Kyoto Sanga up the table, and that phenomenal play has earned him Konami Monthly MVP honors.

The Brazilian was just signed by Sanga in the summer and he made a big impact right off the bat in August.

Rafael kicked off the month with a goal that began Sanga’s comeback from 2-0 down for a 3-2 win over Nagoya Grampus. Two matches later, he was the star man with a hat trick and an assist as his side thumped Cerezo Osaka, 5-3. Finally, he found the back of the net after just three minutes as Sanga cruised to a 3-0 victory against FC Tokyo.

With Rafael flying up top, Sanga climbed to 15th place and put six points between them and the relegation zone.

Another new signing shined bright in J2 as Shoma Doi earned Konami Monthly MVP for the second division. The new Montedio Yamagata signing from Kashima Antlers scored two goals and added an assist as he helped his new club to points from his first five matches.

Top honors in J3 went to Marcus Vinicius, who scored four goals and picked up two assists while donning the armband as he led FC Imabari to an undefeated August.