Aya Miyama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aya Miyama

Miyama playing in the 2011 World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Aya Miyama
Date of birth	(1985-01-28) 28 January 1985 (age 40)
Place of birth	Oamishirasato, Chiba, Japan
Height	1.57 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2000	Nippon TV Beleza	6	(2)
2001–2008	Okayama Yunogo Belle	110	(62)
2009	Los Angeles Sol	20	(0)
2009	Okayama Yunogo Belle	6	(1)
2010	Saint Louis Athletica	5	(0)
2010	Atlanta Beat	17	(1)
2010–2016	Okayama Yunogo Belle	122	(48)
Total		286	(114)
National team
2003–2016	Japan	162	(38)
Honours Nippon TV Beleza Winner Nadeshiko League 2000 Runner-up Nadeshiko League 1999 Winner Nadeshiko League Cup 1999 Winner Empress's Cup 2000 Okayama Yunogo Belle Runner-up Nadeshiko League Cup 2013 Runner-up Empress's Cup 2006 Representing  Japan Olympic Games Silver 2012 London Team FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 2011 Germany Silver 2015 Canada AFC Women's Asian Cup Gold 2014 Vietnam Bronze 2008 Vietnam Bronze 2010 China Asian Games Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team Silver 2006 Doha Team Silver 2014 Incheon Team AFC U-19 Women's Championship Gold 2002 India
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Aya Miyama (宮間 あや, Miyama Aya, born 28 January 1985) is a Japanese former footballer. She played as a midfielder for the Japan national team. From 2012 to 2016, she was the team's captain.

Aya Miyama played in four World Cups between 2003 and 2015. She was a key player when Japan won the 2011 World Cup. She also led Japan to a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Playing for Clubs

Starting Out in Football

Aya Miyama was born in Ōamishirasato, Japan, on January 28, 1985. She started playing football at a young age. Her father even started a football club for her.

Later, she joined the youth team of Nippon TV Beleza in 1999. She then played for their main team. Even when she was in high school, she kept playing football. She even played with boys.

In 2001, Miyama joined Okayama Yunogo Belle. This was a team in Japan's top women's football league, the L.League.

Playing in the USA

Aya Miyama (Left) playing for Saint Louis Athletica against the Boston Breakers. Kelly Smith is pictured on the right.

In 2008, Aya Miyama was chosen by the Los Angeles Sol. This was a team in the U.S. Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. She played for them in 2009. She made 6 assists that season.

When the Los Angeles Sol team closed down, she joined Saint Louis Athletica. After that, she signed with the Atlanta Beat in June 2010.

Back to Japan

Aya Miyama returned to Okayama Yunogo Belle in September 2010. She continued to play for them until the end of the 2016 season.

Playing for Japan

World Cup Heroics

Aya Miyama showed her amazing skills at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. She scored two goals against England from direct free kicks. This helped Japan get a draw in that match.

In the 2011 World Cup, she scored a winning goal against New Zealand. This was also from a free kick. She was named the Player of the Match for that game.

In the final match of the 2011 World Cup, Japan played against the USA. Miyama scored Japan's first goal. The game ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time. It went to a penalty shoot-out. Miyama scored Japan's first penalty kick. Japan won the shoot-out 3–1! This made them the first Asian team to win the World Cup.

After winning, Miyama showed great sportsmanship. Instead of celebrating with her teammates right away, she went to hug and congratulate the American players. This act of respect was praised by many, including U.S. player Hope Solo.

Awards and Olympic Success

Aya Miyama won the AFC Women's Footballer of the Year award three times. She won it in 2011, 2012, and 2015. This award is for the best female player in Asia.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Miyama was the captain of the Japanese team. She led them to a silver medal.

She also captained the team at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. They reached the final again but lost to the USA.

In 2016, Japan did not qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. After this, Miyama decided to retire from the national team. She played 162 matches for Japan and scored 38 goals.

International Goals

Aya Miyama scored many important goals for Japan. Here is a list of her international goals:

List of international goals scored by Aya Miyama

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 June 2003	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	13–0	15–0	2003 AFC Women's Championship
2	22 July 2003	Sendai Stadium, Sendai, Japan	South Korea	4–0	5–0	Friendly
3	18 December 2004	Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Chinese Taipei	2–0	11–0	Friendly
4				4–0
5	29 March 2005	Miranda, Australia	Australia	1–2	1–2	Friendly
6	21 May 2005	Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	New Zealand	5–0	6–0	Friendly
7	23 July 2006	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia	China	1–0	1–0	2006 AFC Women's Asian Cup
8	23 November 2206	Wildparkstadion, Karlsruhe, Germany	Germany	2–6	3–6	Friendly
9	30 November 2006	Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Jordan	2–0	13–0	2006 Asian Games
10	12 February 2007	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	Sweden	1–1	2–2	Friendly
11	10 March 2007	National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Mexico	2–0	2–0	2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
12	10 June 2007	Bucheon Stadium, Bucheon, South Korea	South Korea	2–1	2–2	2008 Summer Olympics qualification
13	4 August 2007	Lạch Tray Stadium, Hai Phong, Vietnam	Vietnam	4–0	8–0	2008 Summer Olympics qualification
14	11 September 2007	Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai, China	England	1–0	2–2	2007 FIFA Women's World Cup
15				2–2
16	18 February 2008	Yongchuan Stadium, Chongqing, China	North Korea	2–2	3–2	2008 EAFF Women's Football Championship
17	2 June 2008	Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	Australia	3–0	3–1	2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup
18	8 June 2008			2–0
19	6 August 2008	Qinhuangdao Olympic Stadium, Qinhuangdao, China	New Zealand	1–2	2–2	2008 Summer Olympics
20	14 November 2009	Urawa Komaba Stadium, Saitama, Japan	New Zealand	1–0	2–1	Friendly
21	6 February 2010	Ajinomoto Stadium, Chōfu, Japan	China	1–0	2–0	2010 EAFF Women's Football Championship
22	20 May 2010	Chengdu Sports Centre, Chengdu, China	Myanmar	5–0	8–0	2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup
23	2 March 2011	Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal	United States	1–2	1–2	2011 Algarve Cup
24	18 June 2011	Ningineer Stadium, Matsuyama, Japan	South Korea	1–0	1–1	Friendly
25	27 June 2011	Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany	New Zealand	2–1	2–1	2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
26	17 July 2011	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany	United States	1–1	2–2	2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
27	5 April 2012	Home's Stadium Kobe, Kobe, Japan	Brazil	3–1	4–1	Kirin Challenge Cup
28	11 July 2012	National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Australia	1–0	3–0	Friendly
29	25 July 2012	City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry, England	Canada	2–0	2–1	2012 Summer Olympics
30	26 September 2013	Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan	Nigeria	1–0	2–0	Friendly
31	5 March 2014	Stadium Bela Vista, Parchal, Portugal	United States	1–1	1–1	2014 Algarve Cup
32	10 March 2014	Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal	Sweden	2–1	2–1	2014 Algarve Cup
33	18 September 2014	Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon, South Korea	Jordan	10–0	12–0	2014 Asian Games
34	1 October 2014	Incheon Munhak Stadium, Incheon, South Korea	North Korea	1–2	1–3	2014 Asian Games
35	11 March 2015	Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal	Iceland	1–0	2–0	2015 Algarve Cup
36				2–0
37	9 June 2015	BC Place, Vancouver, Canada	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
38	23 June 2015	BC Place, Vancouver, Canada	Netherlands	2–0	2–1	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Awards and Achievements

Aya Miyama has won many awards and medals throughout her career:

With Japan National Team

• FIFA Women's World Cup:
  • Winner: 2011
  • Runner-up: 2015
• Summer Olympics:
  • Silver Medal: 2012
• AFC Women's Asian Cup:
  • Winner: 2014
• Asian Games:
  • Gold Medal: 2010
• East Asian Football Championship:
  • Winner: 2008, 2010

Individual Awards

• FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011
• FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Ball: 2015 (This award is for the third-best player in the tournament.)
• AFC Women's Asian Cup Best player: 2014
• AFC Women's Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2015
• Algarve Cup Best player: 2012
• L.League Division 1 Best Eleven (6 times): 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
• L.League Division 2 Best Player: 2004
• L.League Division 2 top scorer: 2004
• FIFPro: FIFA FIFPro World XI 2015 (This is a team of the best players in the world, chosen by other players.)
• IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020

See Also

In Spanish: Aya Miyama para niños

• List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps
• List of players who have appeared in multiple FIFA Women's World Cups