Man walks onto pitch with teams wearing skimpy pants and referees look confused

This weekend's J-League action got off to an interesting start - when Cerezo Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima were led out by a man wearing speedos.

The viral video shows the man - quite literally - marching out ahead of the two teams before he takes a position between the two officials. He can then be seen posing to the crowd as he makes his way off the field.

The man in the clip is Yoshio Kojima, a Japanese comedian whose gimmick is performing in swimwear. However, it made for an interesting image as Osaka and Sanfrecce's captains shook hands with the half-naked man in the middle.

"Okay, but I need context for this one," one fan joked responding to an image posted by Out of Context Football. And a second added: "It's like seeing your custom character appear in a cut scene!"

"Yellow card for taking your top off...Japan," a third added. While a fourth tweeted: "How many people are holding back from laughing at this? It's a surreal sight!"

"Yoshio Kojima is about to become known all over the world through football. It sure is a strange sight," a fourth tweeted. And a fifth joked: "Is he meant to be there or was everyone too embarrassed to call him out?"

What do you think of the bizarre images of the man in the swimsuit? Let us know in the comments section below.

On the pitch, it was the visitors, Sanfrecce, who proved to be the better side - with Douglas Vieira notching the only goal of the game when he found the net in the 93rd minute.

There was a familiar face on the field for Premier League fans, with former Manchester United playmaker Shinji Kagawa turning out for Osaka. Kagawa moved to Japan in January, after a brief spell with Sint-Truiden in Belgium.