Homare Sawa

Homare Sawa is the greatest player in the history of Japanese football and one of the greatest midfielders of all time. A symbol of the Japanese national team for two decades, she was the captain and soul of the team that won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. She made her debut for the Japanese national team as a teenager in the 1990s and competed in six FIFA Women's World Cups between 1995 and 2015 — a record. In 2011, she experienced her peak: she became world champion against the United States in a penalty shootout, finished the tournament as the top scorer with five goals, and won the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition. That same year, she was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, breaking the dominance of European and American athletes in the award. In club football, she shined mainly for NTV Beleza in Japan, had stints in American football, and ended her career in 2015 with INAC Kobe Leonessa. She also won Olympic silver in London 2012 and the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. She holds the record for appearances and goals for the Japanese national team, with 205 matches and 83 goals.