Homare Sawa, Japan footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Homare Sawa is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward and midfielder. Her club career spanned 24 seasons, mostly with Nippon TV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa. With Sawa as captain, the Japan national team won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, with Sawa receiving both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. Regarded as one of Japan's greatest ever female footballers, Sawa was named the 2011 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, becoming the first Asian person of any gender to receive a major year-end individual football award. She also led Japan to the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Sawa made her club debut in 1991 at the age of 12, and went on to win five titles with Nippon TV Beleza between 1991 and 1999 before leaving for the United States to play in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She played for two WUSA clubs, the Atlanta Beat and the Denver Diamonds, before returning to the Japanese league in 2004. Within four years, Sawa won another nine titles with NTV Beleza. In 2008, Japan reached their first Olympic medal match at the Summer Olympics, with Sawa finishing as Japan's top scorer of the tournament. In 2015, Sawa led Japan to their second-ever Women's World Cup final.

Sawa retired after winning the 2015 Empress's Cup with INAC Kobe Leonessa. She finished her career with 11 league titles and 8 domestic cup titles in the Japanese League, and was also named to the league's Best XI for 11 seasons. Sawa remains the leader in both appearances and goals for the Japan national team, with 205 and 83 respectively.