Homare Sawa

Homare Sawa ( born September 6, 1978 in Fuchū, Tokyo) is a female football player from Japan. She currently plays for INAC Kobe Leonessa in the Nadeshiko League Division 1.

Long considered Japan's finest female footballer, she made her debut in Japan's highest domestic league at age 12. On December 6, 1993, at age 15, she made her Japanese international debut, scoring four goals in her first ever match, a win against the Philippines. She has subsequently remained a fixture for the Japanese national team, participating in the last five FIFA Women's World Cups and the 1996, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympic Games on her way to a Japanese record 171 caps, and a Japanese female-best 79 international goals, including a hat trick in a 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup group stage match against Mexico. Sawa led the Japanese national team as captain to a World Championship victory and received the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards as the top scorer (5 goals during the 2011 World Cup) and MVP in the tournament. After a 2-2 tie in front of a sellout crowd in Frankfurt Germany (with 1 goal by Sawa in the 117th minute), Japan won the penalty shootout 3-1, defeating the United States to win their first ever World Cup.

Personal information
Full name : Homare Sawa
Date of birth : September 6, 1978
Place of birth: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position : Midfielder
Club information
Current club : INAC Kobe Leonessa
Number : 10