Aya Sameshima facts for kids
Sameshima playing for Japan against Sweden in the 2011 World Cup semi finals
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Aya Sameshima | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Omiya Ardija Ventus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Tokiwagi Gakuen High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | TEPCO Mareeze | 98 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Boston Breakers | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Montpellier | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Vegalta Sendai | 21 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 73 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Omiya Ardija Ventus | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 215 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2021 | Japan | 114 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Aya Sameshima (鮫島 彩, Sameshima Aya, born 16 June 1987) is a Japanese footballer (soccer player). She mainly plays as a left back. Currently, she plays for Omiya Ardija Ventus in the WE League. She has played over 100 games for the Japan national team.
Contents
Aya Sameshima's Club Career
Aya Sameshima was born in Utsunomiya, Japan, on June 16, 1987. She started playing youth football for Kawachi SC Juvenile from 1995 to 2002. Then, she played for Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC from 2003 to 2005.
Starting with TEPCO Mareeze
In 2006, Aya joined TEPCO Mareeze. This club was owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. While playing for Mareeze, she lived in a sports complex near Fukushima. Like other players, she also worked for the company to earn money.
In 2011, a big earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. This event caused problems at a power plant in Fukushima. Because of this, her club, TEPCO Mareeze, had to stop playing in the L.League for the rest of the season.
Playing Abroad: Boston and Montpellier
After her club stopped playing, Aya Sameshima started training with the Boston Breakers in the United States. She then officially joined them in March 2011. She was the first player from TEPCO Mareeze to sign with another club. On June 12, she played her first game for the Breakers. She was the first Japanese international player to play for the club.
Later in 2011, on September 19, Aya moved to France. She joined the French club Montpellier. There, she played alongside another Japanese player, Rumi Utsugi.
Returning to Japan
In 2012, Aya Sameshima returned to Japan. She started playing for Vegalta Sendai. In January 2014, she tried to join Houston Dash in the U.S. again. However, due to injuries, she couldn't sign a contract. So, she rejoined Vegalta Sendai in July 2014. After that, she signed with INAC Kobe Leonessa for the 2015 season. She is now playing for Omiya Ardija Ventus.
Aya Sameshima's National Team Career
Aya Sameshima also had a great career playing for the Japanese national team. She played for the Japanese Under-19 team in 2006.
Making Her Senior Debut
Her first game for the senior national team was on March 10, 2008, against Russia. That same year, she played in the 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup. She scored her first goal in an 11–0 win against Chinese Taipei.
Winning Medals for Japan
In 2010, she played in the Asian Games. Japan won the tournament, and she earned a gold medal. In 2011, she was part of the Japan team that won the FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in every match during that amazing victory.
Aya also helped Japan win a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In 2015, she played in the 2015 World Cup, where Japan finished as runners-up. In 2018, she played in the Asian Cup again. Japan won the championship, adding another gold medal to her collection. She has played 114 games and scored 5 goals for Japan.
Honors and Achievements
Aya Sameshima has won many awards and medals throughout her career:
- FIFA Women's World Cup
- Football at the Asian Games
- Gold Medal: 2010, 2018
- AFC Women's Asian Cup
- Winner: 2018 (Gold Medal)
- Third Place: 2008, 2010 (Bronze Medal)
- East Asian Football Championship
- Winner: 2010
- Olympic Games
- Silver Medal: 2012 London
See Also
In Spanish: Aya Sameshima para niños
- List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps
