Japanese · Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan · Born 6 September 1978Japanese midfielder who captained Japan to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup title, winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot
Homare Sawa is regarded as the greatest Asian footballer of all time, a technically brilliant midfielder whose 24-season club career and 22 years with the Japan national team culminated in the defining moment of her sport's history in Asia. Captaining Japan at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, she scored the dramatic extra-time equaliser in the final against the United States to send the match to penalties, which Japan won to claim their first World Cup title. She finished the tournament with both the Golden Ball as best player and the Golden Boot as top scorer, and was subsequently named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, the first Asian recipient of a major year-end individual award. She led Japan to a second World Cup final in 2015 before retiring as the national team's all-time leader in both caps and goals.
Captaining Japan to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup title and winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot
How They Played
Elegant, two-footed midfielder with exceptional vision, composure on the ball and a knack for decisive goals
Lasting Impact
Widely considered the greatest Asian footballer in history and the player who brought Japan's first major honour in the sport
Career Honours
- FIFA Women's World Cup 2011
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball 2011
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot 2011
- FIFA World Player of the Year 2011
- Olympic Silver 2012
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon TV Beleza | 1991–2011 | 0 | 0 |
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2011–2015 | 0 | 0 |
 Japan | — | 205 | 83 |
Japanese Athletes