is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...

(WSL) club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

on loan from Arsenal and the Japan national team. She previously played for Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, and

1899 Hoffenheim Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg. Originally founded in 189 ...

. A prodigious talent, Iwabuchi is widely regarded as a gifted technician with an incredible weight of pass and excellent ball control. Due to her diminutive stature and ability to dribble past opponents with ease, she is affectionately nicknamed 'Manadona' in her home country, after the Argentine legend

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

. Known to many as the face of women's football in Japan, Iwabuchi has represented the

Japan women's national football team Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

since the age of 16, enjoying some of her greatest successes on the world stage. She made her full international debut in 2010, and she has since earned over 85

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

and scored 37 goals for Japan. Having participated in three consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, Iwabuchi was part of the squad that famously won the title in 2011, appearing as a substitute in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

in Germany when she was just 18 years old. Iwabuchi also has a silver medal to her name from the

2012 Summer Olympics in London The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and a gold medal from the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 Augus ...

. Iwabuchi has been named in the IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade, Asian Young Footballer of the Year twice, recipient of the

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament for female players under the age of 17. It is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The tournament is held in even-numbered ye ...

Golden Ball, the

AFC U-19 Women's Championship The AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup is an association football tournament for women's national teams under the age of 20, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is organised by the Asian Football Confederation every two years, and serv ...

MVP and Golden Boot, the

EAFF Women's Football Championship EAFF E-1 Football Championship is an international football competition in East Asia for national teams of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF). The competition between women's national teams is held alongside men's competition. History ...

Golden Boot twice over, and the AFC Women's Asian Cup MVP. Amongst her list of accolades, she is also the youngest ever recipient (aged 18 years 5 months and 0 days) of the People's Honour Award, a prestigious government commendation bestowed by the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

, when she received it as part of the World Cup-winning squad of 2011. The youngest person to win the honour individually, is the Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion (2014, 2018), a two-time World champion (2014, 2017), a four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2013–2016), the 2020 Four Continents champion, the 2010 World J ...

(aged 23 years 6 months and 25 days). __TOC____TOC____TOC__

Early life and education

Born and raised in Musashino, Iwabuchi began kicking a football and developing her love for the sport at the age of six. At the time, she was also enrolled in piano and ballet lessons. However, her older brother Ryota and the coach of his football club had been persuading her for about a year to join them. Finally at the age of eight, she followed in his footsteps and joined the local club team, Sekimae SC, where he played. Her talent was recognised early on, and she was invited to train with the older boys. The club was originally called 'Sekimae Boys Soccer Club', but because Iwabuchi became the first girl to join, they renamed the club to 'Sekimae Soccer Club'. A notable figure she was teammates with in her youth is well-known Japanese actor

Ryo Ryusei is a Japanese actor. He is signed with Ken-On. Career Ryusei was scouted on his way to a hair salon on Takeshita Street in Harajuku in the summer of 2009, and officially joined Ken-On in January 2010. In April 2010 he made his acting debut as ...

, who commented years later that "she would be dribbling past boys with ease" from an early age and was one of the reasons he gave up on being a professional footballer as he watched her play and realised he would not be good enough. Iwabuchi attended Komazawa Women's University and was admitted to the Faculty of Intercultural Studies. Her older brother Ryota, is also a professional footballer currently playing for

Fujieda MYFC are a Japanese J2 League football club based in Fujieda, Shizuoka. It is funded by online subscribers and is the first of its kind in Japan. The club spent two seasons in the Japan Football League before having their application accepted in 20 ...

as a midfielder.

Club career

Nippon TV Beleza

On 21 October 2007, when she was 14 years old, she made her debut for

Nippon TV Beleza is a women's football team which plays in Japan's WE League. History The club was founded as named ''Yomiuri SC Ladies Beleza'' as women's club of Yomiuri SC (currently ''Tokyo Verdy'') by Yomiuri Shimbun in 1981.Nadeshiko League, the reigning champions in the top flight of women's football in Japan. The following year, she broke into the first team and was awarded Best Young Player for the 2008 season. At the

Nadeshiko League Cup The Nadeshiko League Cup (Japanese: なでしこリーグカップ) is a cup competition for women's football clubs in Japan. The competition began as the L.League Cup in 1996 and it was abolished after the 1999 edition. It reappeared on the occ ...

Final on 22 August 2010, she scored the winning goal in the 90th minute of the game and led her team to a 3–2 victory over rivals

Urawa Reds Ladies , known for sponsorship reasons as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies, is a women's football (soccer), football club playing in Japan's football league, WE League. Its hometown is the city of Saitama, Saitama, Saitama in Saitama Prefect ...

, earning the tournament's MVP award. Despite her goal contribution and many plaudits from teammates and the media, she said "Even today, I didn't do anything except for the very last minute. I'm happy, but I'm more disappointed in myself. I'm still so lacking, I want to work hard so I can get even a step closer to Sawa-san." Aged 17, she took over the number 10 shirt from Japan legend

Homare Sawa is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward or a midfielder. Regarded by many as one of the greatest female footballers of all time and the greatest Asian female footballer of all time, Sawa had a professional club car ...

the following season. In the 2011 season, she scored the team's highest and league's joint-3rd highest of 9 goals, receiving the Most Hardworking Player award and was selected for the Best Eleven.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 28 November 2012, Iwabuchi joined

in the

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

and chose the number 28 shirt, the first number she wore for Beleza as a professional footballer. On 17 March 2013, she made her debut in a 6–2 away victory against SV Bardenbach, coming on as a substitute in the 46th minute. On 31 March 2013, she scored her first goal in a 3–2 win over 1. FFC Niederkirchen. Iwabuchi finished the 2012–13 season with four goals in nine appearances as Hoffenheim won the Southern division and were promoted to the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

. In the following season, she changed her shirt number to 13. On 8 September 2013, she scored Hoffenheim's first ever goal in the top-flight in a 1–0 home victory against

VfL Sindelfingen VfL Sindelfingen is a German sports club from Sindelfingen, Baden–Württemberg. The club was founded in 1862 and has more than 9,000 members, making it one of biggest sports clubs in Germany. VfL Sindelfingen has departments for various sports ...

. In the second-last fixture of the season, Iwabuchi faced her future club Bayern Munich; she scored 2 goals and assisted one as Hoffenheim came back from two goals down to win 3–2 and secured their safety from relegation. She finished the 2013–14 season with six goals in 22 appearances in all competitions.

Bayern Munich

In June 2014, Iwabuchi left Hoffenheim to join Bayern Munich. During the 2014–15 season, she scored 3 goals in her debut season and was part of a Bayern team that remained unbeaten in the Bundesliga and won the title for the first time since 1976. On 30 January 2016, she signed a two-year contract extension. She helped her team lift the Bundesliga title for a second season running, scoring the equaliser against her former club Hoffenheim in a 1–1 draw on the final day of the 2015–16 season. In March 2017, however, she announced on her blog and to the media that despite having one year left, she had mutually terminated her contract with the club so she could return to Japan to focus on her recovery from injury.

INAC Kobe Leonessa

On 23 June 2017, Iwabuchi signed with INAC Kobe Leonessa. She had received offers from multiple clubs, and it came as a surprise to many that she decided to sign with Kobe Leonessa, as they are considered main rivals of NTV Beleza, the club she spent her youth at and played at until her move overseas to Germany. She revealed that she chose the club because they courted her most enthusiastically, and she wanted to play under manager Takeo Matsuda again. He was her coach at NTV Beleza when she was around 14 or 15 years old. Iwabuchi elaborated in a magazine interview, "At the time, I could barely keep up in training, but he would still play me in matches. But I remember feeling let down because I couldn't do much. That is why I wanted to come back and show him how much I've grown as a player, and I also wanted to learn football from him again." On 9 September 2017, she made her return to the Nadeshiko League in Japan after five years away, coming on as a substitute against MyNavi Sendai Ladies. She then scored her first goal for the club in a 5-0 win over Okayama Yunogo Belle on 5 November 2017. On 9 August 2020, she achieved the milestone of 100 appearances in the Nadeshiko League. Iwabuchi-01-INAC-2020

She was given the captain's armband in her final season with the club, where she featured 47 times and netted 11 goals.

Aston Villa

Iwabuchi returned to Europe after she signed with Aston Villa in the

FA Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features ...

on 21 December 2020 and joined them mid-season in January 2021. Her signing was described by sporting director Eni Aluko as a "statement signing" for the club, and a unique deal was constructed with CEO Christian Purslow to bring Iwabuchi to the club, ahead of many other top clubs in Europe who were interested in her. Iwabuchi herself said, "receiving an offer from a club that plays in what I personally consider to be the most attractive league in the world right now, I wanted to go there without any hesitation." She added, "I have faced the England national team as a player for Japan. Firstly, I could feel the high individual level of the players, the power and technique, as well as their completion as a team. Second, was the fact that they are the women's team of a club that plays in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. The environment is good, so that was another attractive point." She registered her first goal and assist for the club on her first league start against

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

on 23 January 2021. Instrumental to Aston Villa's season-long battle to survive relegation, Iwabuchi also secured a crucial victory (and their first home win of the season) against

on 6 February 2021 by scoring the only goal of the game, a thunderous strike from 25-yards out. Her goal was among the nominees for FA Women's Super League 20/21 Goal of the Season.

Arsenal

As her short-term contract with Villa expired at the end of June 2021, it was announced on 26 May 2021 that she would join Arsenal afterwards. The club had reportedly been trying to sign her since the summer of 2019, and again in the winter of 2020, but the move was blocked by the Japanese Football Association, who wanted her to stay in Japan till the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo had taken place. She scored her first goal for the club on 18 August 2021 – her debut – versus Okzhetpes in the Champions League. In the next game against PSV, her second-ever appearance for Arsenal, she scored twice. Her first goal in that match, a stunning solo goal from a short corner, won the club's Goal of the Month poll for August in which fans vote to elect the best goal from the Men's, Women's and U-23 teams. With 64% of the votes, she became only the third player from the women's team, following Kim Little and

Vivianne Miedema Anna Margaretha Marina Astrid "Vivianne" Miedema (; born 15 July 1996) is a Dutch professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for FA Women's Super League (FA WSL) club Arsenal W.F.C., Arse ...

, to win the award. Conversely, she scored her first goal on behalf of Arsenal in the WSL against her former team Villa, which they won 4–0 away on 2 October 2021.

Tottenham Hotspur (Loan)

Iwabuchi joined Arsenal's north London rival

on loan until the end of the season in January 2023 after limited game-time with Arsenal which saw her made just three appearances in the league. She made her debut for the club on 25 January 2023 in a 3-1 loss to

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in the FA WSL Cup quarter-finals.She scored her first goal for the club in a win 5-0 over London City Lionesses in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

fourth round on 29 January 2023.

International career

Youth

Iwabuchi began her international career in 2008 when she was selected onto the Japan U-17 national team at the age of 15, and participated in the 2008 U-17 World Cup in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The team was defeated in the quarterfinals but a series of outstanding performances saw Iwabuchi named winner of the adidas Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. The award doubly significant as it was the first time a Japanese player, male or female, had picked up the prestigious MVP award in a FIFA competition. A French team coach hailed her as a "future star of women's football." The following year, Iwabuchi participated in the

2009 AFC U-19 Women's Championship The AFC U-19 Women's Championship 2009 was the fifth edition of the AFC U-19 Women's Championship. It was held from August 1 to 12 in Wuhan, China. The top 3 teams qualified for the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Qualification Qualified t ...

where she led the Young Nadeshiko to their second crown at this level. Several decisive strikes, including a late winner in the final against

Korea Republic South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, and the only goal of the semi-final against

DPR Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, saw her finish as the tournament's joint top scorer with four goals and recipient of the MVP award yet again. As a result, Iwabuchi was awarded the Asian Young Footballer of the Year by the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly i ...

in 2008 and 2009. Despite not yet having made an appearance for the senior national team, Iwabuchi was also nominated for the

FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representati ...

award (which would later become the

FIFA Ballon D'or The FIFA Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball") was an annual association football award presented to the world's best men's player from 2010 to 2015. Awarded jointly by FIFA and ''France Football'', the prize was a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Ye ...

) in 2009. She was the fourth Japanese player in history and first female player to be nominated for this award. The

2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the 5th edition of the tournament. It was held in Germany, who will also host the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup a year later from 13 July to 1 August 2010. Sixteen teams, comprising representatives from al ...

in Germany did not prove as successful as New Zealand 2008, with Japan somewhat unluckily eliminated in the group stage. Iwabuchi though again demonstrated her ability to score key goals, grabbing a long-range equaliser in their 3–3 draw against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Despite Japan failing to progress further in the tournament, Iwabuchi was among the shortlist of ten candidates for the adidas Golden Ball at Germany 2010.

Senior

On 6 February 2010, Iwabuchi made her debut for the

in the East Asian Football Championship, held in her home country of Japan. She appeared as a 60th-minute substitute in Japan's 2–0 win over China. Five days later, aged 16, she scored her first goals at senior international level in a 3–0 win against the Chinese Taipei national team in the same competition. In her post-match interview, she said "The atmosphere here (

Japan National Stadium The Japan National Stadium, officially named and formerly known as or , is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for association football in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The facility served as the main stadium for the opening and ...

) is special. I was pretty nervous before the match, so I'm happy that I was even able to get two goals. Goals are the accumulation of many different plays, so I'm grateful to everyone in the team. Personally, I want to do more dribbling. My goal is to be like Messi. He is small but I love his sharp dribbling skills!" Japan went on to win the championship and Iwabuchi finished as the tournament's joint top scorer. 2011 World Cup In July 2011, she was selected to play in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, the youngest member of Japan's squad at 18 years of age. She made appearances in all of Japan's games during the tournament, with the exception of the semi-final against Sweden, as Japan achieved a historic maiden title. She came on as a substitute in the

against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

as Japan won 3–1 in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

following a 2–2 draw after extra time, becoming the first Asian team to win a FIFA World Cup final. The outcome of the game was so unbelievable that it caused widespread celebration in Japan as the country was still feeling the effects of the devastating

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

that killed more than 15,000 people prior to the tournament. As a result, the entire team was bestowed the People's Honour Award, a prestigious government commendation by the

, for the immense hope and joy they brought the demoralised nation as well as the feat that achieved while lacking any sufficient support from the JFA as women's football wasn't the top priority of Japan's football development. Iwabuchi is the youngest ever recipient (aged 18 years 5 months and 0 days) of the award, while the youngest person to win the honour individually is the Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion

(aged 23 years 6 months and 25 days). 2012 Summer Olympics Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, she suffered a contusion to her right ankle, sustained in the quarter-final against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

the previous year during the World Cup. She had to walk on crutches and was forced to withdraw from the final round of Asian Qualifiers for the Olympics. Despite this, she recovered in time to play at the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She featured in a total of 3 games over the course of the tournament, including a start against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in the group stages. In the gold medal match on 9 August 2012, Japan faced the

, the two countries meeting yet again in consecutive finals of major tournaments. Similar to the previous final, Iwabuchi came on as a substitute in the 76th minute. As Japan were trailing the USA 2–1, Iwabuchi nicked the ball off defender

Christie Rampone Christie Patricia Pearce (formerly Rampone; born June 24, 1975) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. She is the former captain of the United States national team. Pearce is a three-time Olympic gold medal ...

and was through on goal, with the chance to equalise. However, her curled shot to the top right corner was saved by goalkeeper

Hope Solo Hope Amelia Stevens (; born July 30, 1981) is an American former soccer goalkeeper. She was a goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team from 2000 to 2016, and is a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Afte ...

, and Japan went on to finish as silver medalists. Upon returning to Japan, she teared up in front of reporters when speaking during the press conference, saying "It was a true joy to stand on the greatest stage with the best teammates. The result of finishing in second place was really disappointing, but I will work even harder from here." In an interview she gave in 2021, almost nine years later, she said that she still keeps an image of the scene where she failed to score as the wallpaper on her computer so that she "never forgets the disappointment of defeat." 2015 World Cup FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 - Edmonton (19224596125)

FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 - Edmonton (19224596125)

In May 2015, just a month before the start of the

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the ...

, Iwabuchi suffered a bruise to her right knee in a friendly game held during the national team training camp. Despite concerns as to whether she would be fit enough in time for the World Cup, head coach Norio Sasaki named her in Japan's 23-player squad where she was again the youngest member of the team. His gamble paid off and Iwabuchi made headlines as she excelled in her role as a second-half impact substitute, playing a major role in Japan's two late wins in the quarter-final against Australia and then the dramatic semi-final against England. Her 87th-minute goal in the crucial 1-0 victory over Australia in the quarter-finals at the

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, was her first goal at a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

. Japan eventually finished as

runners-up A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

to the USA. 2016 Summer Olympics qualifying campaign In early 2016, Iwabuchi was part of the Japan team in the 2016 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where she scored important goals against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, finishing as the team's top scorer of the tournament. However, Japan ended the tournament in 3rd place, narrowly missing out on the top two places, which meant they had failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The summer of 2016 was a significant turning point in Iwabuchi's national team career, as the "Golden Period" of the Nadeshiko's global dominance was slowly beginning to come to a close. Her mentor and legend of the women's game in Japan,

, had announced her retirement at the end of 2015. This was followed by long-serving national team coach Norio Sasaki, who had led them to great successes at the past two World Cups and Olympics, stepping down from his role following Japan's failure to qualify for Rio 2016. With another key player

Aya Miyama is a Japanese former footballer who played for the Japan national team starting in 2003, and from 2012 to 2016 served as captain of the team. She appeared in four World Cups between 2003 and 2015, including the team that won the 2011 World C ...

, the captain at the time, also retiring from national team duty following the failure to qualify for the Olympics, all eyes turned to Iwabuchi to step up as the focal point and become the star of the "future" Japanese national team. 2018 AFC Asian Cup Despite significant pressure and media attention, Iwabuchi delivered. At the 2018 Asian Cup held in Jordan from 6–20 April, which served as the final stage of Asian

qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for the

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...

, Iwabuchi played the full 90 minutes plus in all five matches over a two-week period and scored 2 goals. She led Japan to win the championship, defending their title in a 1–0 victory over Australia, and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. "It was true joy for us to defend the Asian title," she said. "Personally, it is such an honour to claim the MVP title. However, it was the team efforts that counted so the awards belonged to the entire squad, not me." 2018 Asian Games Later that year in August, Iwabuchi participated in the

where she played a key role yet again, contributing 2 goals as Japan won their second-ever Asian Games gold medal. In the final on 31 August 2018, Japan scored a 90th-minute goal at the death to win 1–0 and crush China's hopes of winning a record fourth Asian Games women's football title. 2019 World Cup Iwabuchi-02-JPN-2019

Iwabuchi took part in her third consecutive World Cup competition, at the

in France. On 14 June 2019, she scored Japan's opening goal of the tournament, a 23rd minute long-range strike from outside the box, and was named ''Player of the Match'' for her performance in Japan's 2–1 victory over

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Japan progressed to the knockout stages where they faced the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in the Round of 16, and Iwabuchi provided the assist for

Yui Hasegawa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the Japan national team. A versatile attacking midfielder, she is also capable of operating as a deep-lying playmaker. Born in Se ...

's equaliser, a well-worked team goal that was nominated for Goal of the Tournament. However, her side was knocked out of the tournament after conceding a 90th-minute penalty resulting from a handball in the box, eventually losing 2–1 to their Dutch opponents. 2019 EAFF East Asian Football Championship At the

2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship The 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship was the 8th edition of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, an international football tournament for East Asian countries and territories organized by the EAFF. The finals were held in South Korea in Decem ...

held in South Korea in December 2019, Iwabuchi was given the captain's armband for the first time in the absence of Saki Kumagai, as Japan looked to bounce back from their disappointing campaign at the World Cup earlier in the year. In addition to two goals against Chinese Taipei, Iwabuchi scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

against China in their 3–0 victory on 15 December 2019. With a total of 5 goals, she emerged the tournament's top scorer by a mile and won the Golden Boot as she led Japan to yet another regional title, their third in the history of this competition. 2020 Summer Olympics Iwabuchi-04-JPNAUS-2021

In July 2021, Iwabuchi inherited the number 10 shirt last worn by Japanese legend

, for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

held in Japan on home soil. In the opening game of the group stages, held on 21 July 2021 at the

Sapporo Dome is a stadium located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, and is primarily used for baseball and association football. It is the home field of the association football club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and was also home to the baseball team Hokkaido Ni ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

, Iwabuchi scored a dramatic late equaliser as Japan held

to a 1–1 draw. Latching onto a long ball and finishing with an impressive first-touch strike from the edge of the penalty area, this goal meant that Iwabuchi had scored for the Japan national team in five consecutive international matches, breaking the record previously held by

and the head coach at the time, Asako Takakura. Japan was eliminated from the competition in the quarter-final, where they lost 3–1 to eventual silver medalists Sweden. Post-Olympics, Iwabuchi was asked about her thoughts on the current state of the Japan women's national team. She replied matter-of-factly, "this is a world where results matter more than anything. It is a pity, but I think that we did everything we could. After all, to be victorious in the world, everyone must be hungry, and aim for an environment to better themselves. Otherwise, we can't win. And for the women's football scene to develop further in Japan, the national team must be strong and produce results." In line with her comments above, Iwabuchi has long been an advocate for more Japanese players to take up the challenge of playing overseas. She gave an in-depth interview sharing how her own experiences of moving abroad at an early age were invaluable to her development as a footballer, the differences in styles between Japanese football and European football, and the advice she gives younger players who may be considering their options for the future. Speaking of her own challenge of playing overseas for a second time, she reminisced, "when I moved to Germany, I was only thinking about my own experiences. Rather, it was as if I went there because I wanted to. I was young, and it was my first time living alone, let alone abroad." She went on to say, "but this time n England I have no doubts at all.

Ji So-Yun Ji So-yun ( ko, 지소연, ; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for WK League club Suwon FC and the South Korean national team. Club career Ji started her career in Japan, playing fo ...

(formerly of INAC Kobe Leonessa where Iwabuchi played) from the South Korean national team also plays for

. Due to her success at the club, there are several Korean players in the English league now. I would like to become someone who leads the way for the Japanese, and if I can show them that playing football in England is fun, our younger players will be encouraged to take the plunge, and it will also be easier for Japanese players to be more highly regarded. That is one of my goals that I want to achieve." As of February 2022, she has played 85 games and scored 37 goals, making her Japan's sixth-highest goalscorer.

Style of play

A versatile player, Iwabuchi plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an

second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

, centre forward and on either

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

. The Japan national team usually plays a

4–4–2 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...

formation, and Iwabuchi most often assumes the role of the second striker where she essentially functions in the number 10 role as a playmaking

or deep-lying forward, due to her ball skills and creative ability, which enables her to drop deep between the lines and link-up play, and operate across all attacking areas of the pitch. In a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 formation, she is often part of the three attacking midfielders behind the central striker where she is given the license to roam freely. Her attacking movement and close control allows her to hold up the ball and create space for teammates; her vision and passing range with both feet, despite being naturally right-footed, subsequently allows her to provide assists for on-running strikers. She has also been deployed on the

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

due to her quick feet,

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...

ability, and low centre of gravity, which enables her to beat defenders in one on one situations before cutting inside to shoot. Although she lacks physical strength and height, Iwabuchi has been praised for her finishing – in particular from outside the box –, technique, awareness, capacity to change the rhythm of gameplay in midfield, tactical intelligence, and positioning. She has said herself that she models her game after the Argentine forward

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

, widely considered to be the best dribbler in the world and one of the greatest dribblers of all time, who has been her idol and role model since she was young. "My dream is to be a player like Messi who can dribble past any opponent, shoot and score from anywhere, and is also amazing at bringing out the best in his teammates," she said. Due to their similarly small stature and technical ability that enables them to undertake individual dribbling runs towards goal, she was dubbed the "Female Messi" by the Japanese media in her youth. Her distinctive playing style has also drawn comparisons to Argentine legend

and throughout her career she has been affectionately nicknamed 'Manadona' in her home country. Since signing for the club, she has often been likened to former Arsenal player

Santi Cazorla Santiago "Santi" Cazorla González (; born 13 December 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer. A former Spanish international, Cazorla operated primarily as an attacking midfielder, but also played as a winger, central midfielder or as a ...

by the fans as well as football pundit and club legend

Ian Wright Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal ...

. Beyond her individual qualities, she is also a well-rounded, hard-working team player who covers plenty of ground with her defensive work-rate. During her time under him at Aston Villa, manager Marcus Bignot said of her, "It's unquestioned, her ability on the ball. But I think what goes unnoticed or undervalued, is her work ethic off the ball." He added, "I'm not surprised, knowing Mana and the personality and character she is, that ard workjust comes natural to her." During the period of time that she struggled with injuries (2016~17), multiple coaches suggested to her that she change her playing style to one that does not touch the ball so much during a game, thus reducing the stress on her knees. She replied, "I've been told this many times, but I could never do that. If I change the way I play, there will be nothing left and I might as well retire." In the years since, she has strengthened her physical condition by developing the muscles in her legs that can support her movement in the way she wants to play, while reducing the muscle mass in other parts of her body as far as possible.

Public image

One of the most visible and recognisable female athletes in Japan, Iwabuchi has been a representative figure of women's football in Japan since she entered the spotlight close to a decade ago. She has been outspoken about the development of the women's football scene in Japan, the steps that need to be taken to find success on the world stage once more, and her desire to be a role model for young girls who play football. Iwabuchi-MOSAIC-2021

Upon the conclusion of her participation at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Iwabuchi started a social media trend with the hashtag #Arigato2020, to express her gratitude to all the volunteers and medical personnel involved in making the Olympics a success. She was the first to upload it on 8 August 2021, and it soon caught on amongst many athletes and medalists within the Japanese contingent. By the end of the entire competition, various athletes from around the world and the official Olympics committee had used the hashtag to show their appreciation for Japan's effort in hosting the Olympics. Iwabuchi has endorsed sportswear company Adidas since 2018.

Personal life

Iwabuchi has an older brother, Ryota, who is also a professional footballer. As of 2022, he plays for

as a midfielder. She has close friendships with several players from the Japan men's national team, most notably with Takashi Usami as they are the same age and both played for Hoffeinheim in Germany at the same time. He was originally at Bayern Munich before transferring to

Hoffenheim Hoffenheim () is a village in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the municipality of Sinsheim and, as of 2020, it has a population of 3,191. History The village, settled since prehistoric times, and first mentione ...

, while she played for

first before moving to Bayern Munich later. Iwabuchi also has a close relationship with fellow Arsenal defender and Japan international

Takehiro Tomiyasu is a Japanese professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back or Full back (association football), full-back for Premier League club Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and the Japan national football team, Japan national team. Begi ...

, as both of them joined the club at the same time in the summer of 2021. When asked, she said “We go for meals together sometimes, he is really super helpful and I like the fact I am able to speak to him in Japanese. It’s easy to talk in your own language and it makes you feel comfortable. We both help each other, we cheer for each other and understand each other more. It’s very helpful to have Tomi here.” 20160723 SKN St

Iwabuchi's longstanding friendship with fellow Arsenal teammate

is well-known, as they were best friends and roommates during their time at Bayern Munich. The two communicate in German even though it is neither of their first languages, as it was the common language they shared when they first met. In her autobiography, she mentioned that Miedema, who had moved to the club several seasons earlier, was influential in her decision to sign for Arsenal. Miedema herself has said, "Mana is one of my best mates off the pitch but she’s also one of the only players in my career where within a session at Bayern that click was there, we just understand each other, we feel each other." She is an avid dog lover, and has two toy poodles named Coco and Lala who live in her parents' home back in Japan. Her autobiography, entitled ''Trust yourself, be yourself!'', was published by Kadokawa Shoten in June 2021. It contains an account of her life as a professional footballer since the age of 14, her experiences abroad in Germany and England, her changing role in the Japanese national team set-up, and insights into her life off the field.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Iwabuchi goal.''

Honours

Nippon TV Beleza * Nadeshiko League: 2007,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2010 *

: 2007, 2010,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

Empress's Cup , since 2018 renamed "Empress's Cup JFA Japan Women's Football Championship" ( ja, 皇后杯 JFA 全日本女子サッカー選手権大会) or The Empress's Cup, is a Japanese Women's football competition. As an elimination tournament, it can be ...

, 2009 Hoffenheim *

2. Frauen-Bundesliga The 2. Frauen-Bundesliga is the second league competition for women's association football in Germany. For its first 14 seasons the league was divided into two groups: Nord and Süd. The winner and the runner-up are promoted to the Frauen-Bundeslig ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Bayern Munich * Frauen-Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2015–16 Japan U19 *

: 2009 Japan *

: 2010,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* FIFA Women's World Cup: 2011 * Olympic Silver Medal:

* AFC Women's Asian Cup:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

* Asian Games:

Individual * Nadeshiko League Best Young Player:

MVP: 2010 * Nadeshiko League Most Hardworking Player: 2011 * Nadeshiko League Best Eleven: 2011 * Asian Young Footballer of the Year: 2008, 2009 *

Golden Ball:

MVP: 2009 *

Golden Boot: 2009 *

Nominee: 2009 *

Golden Boot: 2010,

* AFC Women's Asian Cup MVP:

* IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020

References

External links

* * * *
Mana Iwabuchi
at Japan Football Association *

at Nippon TV Beleza {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwabuchi, Mana 1993 births Living people Association football people from Tokyo Japanese women's footballers Japan women's international footballers Nadeshiko League players Frauen-Bundesliga players Women's Super League players Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza players FC Bayern Munich (women) players INAC Kobe Leonessa players Japanese expatriate footballers Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate women's footballers in Germany FIFA Women's World Cup-winning players 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players Olympic footballers of Japan Olympic silver medalists for Japan Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Asian Young Footballer of the Year winners Women's association football forwards Footballers at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Asian Games medalists in football Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Arsenal W.F.C. players Aston Villa W.F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women players Japanese expatriate sportspeople in England