Homare Sawa facts for kids
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Sawa at the 2015 World Cup
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| Full name | Homare Sawa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 September 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1999 | NTV Beleza | 136 | (79) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Denver Diamonds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Atlanta Beat | 55 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Nippon TV Beleza | 85 | (47) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Washington Freedom | 41 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Nippon TV Beleza (loan) | 4 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Nippon TV Beleza | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 94 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 415 | (159) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2015 | Japan | 205 | (83) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Homare Sawa (澤 穂希, Sawa Homare, born 6 September 1978) is a Japanese former professional footballer. She played as a forward or a midfielder. Many people think Sawa is one of the best female footballers ever.
Sawa played club football for 24 seasons. Most of this time was with Nippon TV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa. She also played for the Japan national team for 22 years. She was the captain when Japan won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011. She also led them to an Olympic silver medal in 2012.
Sawa started her club career in 1991 when she was just 12 years old. She won five titles with Nippon TV Beleza before moving to the United States. There, she played in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She played for the Atlanta Beat and the Denver Diamonds. She returned to Japan in 2004.
Back in Japan, Sawa won nine more titles with Nippon TV Beleza. In 2008, Japan reached their first Olympic medal match. Sawa was Japan's top scorer in that tournament.
In 2011, Sawa was the captain of the Japan national team at the World Cup. Japan made it to their first final in a big international tournament. Sawa scored the goal that tied the match in extra time. This helped Japan win the game on penalties. She won the Golden Ball as the best player. She also won the Golden Boot as the top scorer.
Later in 2011, Sawa was named the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. She was the first Asian person to win such a big individual award. She then led Japan to a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. After that, she retired from international football for the first time.
Sawa came back to play for the Japan national team in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was her sixth World Cup and her last big international tournament. Japan reached their second Women's World Cup final that year. They finished as runners-up. After this, she retired from international football for good. At the end of 2015, she won the 2015 Empress's Cup with INAC Kobe Leonessa. Then, she retired from football completely. She won 11 league titles and 8 domestic cup titles in the Japanese League. She was also chosen for the league's Best XI team 11 times.
Sawa holds the record for most games played (called caps) and most goals for Japan. She played 205 games and scored 83 goals.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Sawa was born in Fuchū, Tokyo on September 6, 1978. She started playing football when she was six years old. She used to watch her older brother practice. One day, his coach invited her to join the boys' team.
Club Career Highlights
Starting with NTV Beleza
In 1991, Homare Sawa joined Yomiuri Beleza (later called NTV Beleza). She was only 12 years old when she made her debut in the L.League, Japan's top football league. She played as a forward and scored 79 goals in 136 matches. She was also chosen for the Best Eleven team five times between 1993 and 1998. In 1999, her contract with NTV Beleza ended, and she moved to the United States.
Playing in the United States
In 2001, Sawa joined the Atlanta Beat in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). This was the highest professional women's league in the U.S. She scored the first goal in the club's history. She helped the Beat reach the playoffs every year for three seasons. Even though she was smaller than most players, she played very well.
Return to Japan and More Wins
After the WUSA league ended in 2003, Sawa went back to Japan. She rejoined Nippon TV Beleza. In 2004, she was named the Women's Player of the Year for the Asian Football Confederation. She played for the club until 2008. During this time, the club won the L.League championship four years in a row, from 2005 to 2008. Sawa also won the L.League MVP awards in 2006 and 2008.
Playing for Washington Freedom
On September 24, 2008, Sawa was chosen by the Washington Freedom in the U.S. league. She was a key midfielder for the Freedom during their first two seasons in 2009 and 2010.
Final Club Years
At the end of the 2009 season, Sawa returned to Japan for a short time. She played for Nippon TV Beleza on loan. In January 2011, she moved to INAC Kobe Leonessa. This club won the L.League championship three years in a row, from 2011 to 2013. On December 16, 2015, Sawa announced she would retire at the end of the 2015 season. In her final tournament, the 2015 Empress's Cup, she scored the winning goal in the final match. This secured the championship for her team.
International Career Highlights
On December 6, 1993, when she was 15, Sawa played her first game for Japan. She scored four goals in that match against the Philippines. Sawa played in her first Women's World Cup in 1995. She was 16 years old when she started her first game against Germany.
On July 12, 2003, Sawa scored the winning goal against Mexico. This goal helped Japan qualify for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Sawa played in all of Japan's matches at the 2004 Olympics. She led them to the knockout round of a major tournament for the first time.
Sawa scored three goals (a hat trick) in a 2011 World Cup group stage match against Mexico. She was the oldest player at that time to score a hat trick in a World Cup. Sawa led the Japanese team as captain to win the 2011 World Cup. Japan tied 2–2 with the United States in the final. Sawa scored a goal in the 117th minute. Japan then won the game 3–1 in a penalty shootout. Sawa received the Golden Boot for being the top scorer with five goals. She also won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
On January 9, 2012, Sawa was named the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. She was the first Asian person to receive this big individual award. In February 2012, Aya Miyama took over as captain of the Japan team.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Japan played the United States in the gold medal match. Japan lost 2–1. Sawa announced her retirement from international football in August 2012.
Sawa returned to international play in 2014 for the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. This tournament helped teams qualify for the 2015 World Cup. Sawa scored Japan's first goal in the semifinal against China. Japan won 2–1 and went to the final. Japan then won the final 1–0 against Australia. This was their first Asian Cup title.
Sawa was out for several months due to injuries after the Asian Cup win. In November 2014, she was one of the first people to be included in the Asian Football Hall of Fame. In March 2015, Japan's coach did not include Sawa in the team for a warm-up tournament. This made people wonder if she would play in the World Cup.
However, Sawa was called into Japan's 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup team. She did not get her captaincy back; Aya Miyama was still the captain. Sawa returned to the national team after a year. She scored the winning goal in a friendly match against New Zealand. On June 8, she started Japan's first match of the 2015 World Cup. This was her 200th game for Japan. Sawa and Brazil's Formiga became the first footballers to play in a record six World Cups. Sawa mostly played as a substitute in the tournament. Japan reached the final against the United States. Sawa came into the game in the 33rd minute. Japan lost 5–2 to the U.S. in the final. This was Sawa's last game for Japan.
On December 16, 2015, Sawa announced her retirement from football. Many people in Japanese football praised her career.
Honors and Awards
Homare Sawa won many awards and championships during her career:
Club Achievements
- Nadeshiko.League (8): 1991, 1992, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 (with Yomiuri/Nippon TV Beleza)
- Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament (7): 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 (with Yomiuri/Nippon TV Beleza)
- Nadeshiko League Cup: 2007 (with Yomiuri/Nippon TV Beleza)
- Nadeshiko.League: 2011, 2012, 2013 (with INAC Kobe Leonessa)
- Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament: 2011 (with INAC Kobe Leonessa)
- International Women's Club Championship: 2013 (with INAC Kobe Leonessa)
- Nadeshiko League Cup: 2013 (with INAC Kobe Leonessa)
International Achievements with Japan
- East Asian Football Championship: 2008, 2010
- Asian Games Gold Medal: 2010
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2011
- Olympic Silver Medal: 2012
- AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2014
Individual Awards
- Nadeshiko League Best Eleven (11 times): 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
- AFC Women's Player of the Year: 2004, 2008
- Nadeshiko League MVP: 2006, 2008
- EAFF Women's Football Championship Best Player: 2008, 2010
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2011 (best player)
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Shoe: 2011 (top scorer)
- FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2011
- Asian Football Hall of Fame: 2014
- IFFHS AFC Best Woman Player of the Decade 2011–2020
- IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Personal Life
Sawa went to Teikyo University in 1999. However, her club team, Nippon TV Beleza, ended her contract. This meant she had to leave university to play football in the United States.
On August 11, 2015, Sawa announced she was married. The next day, she shared that her husband was Hiroaki Tsujikami, a former football player. On January 10, 2017, it was announced that they had a baby girl.
In 2013, Sawa became an ambassador for Japan's bid to host the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In 2021, she did not take part in the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay. This was because of a long-term inner-ear condition.
She now works as a TV host and commentator for TV Tokyo. She is also an ambassador for the Japan Football Association.
See also
In Spanish: Homare Sawa para niños
- List of FIFA Women's World Cup winning players
- List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps
- List of players who have appeared in multiple FIFA Women's World Cups
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