#7 Homare Sawa
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The Japanese legend announced her arrival on the big stage in the most startling manner and the world stood up and took note. In her debut match, Sawa found the net an unbelievable four times.
Sawa was an absolute cracker on a football pitch. A playmaking midfielder with a penchant for scoring, she was also a powerful header of the ball who amassed 83 goals in 204 appearances in a career spanning 23 years.
The 2011 World Cup is where Sawa proved to the world what she is all about. A Japanese squad, crushed and confused in the wake of 2011 Tsunamis that brought the nation to their knees, went on to do something that will be written in bold in the history books.
For a team of players that had more battles than one in their head, defying odds was starting to become a characteristic feature. Marching on into the finals with pride, determination and a never-say-die attitude, the world knew that the team from the land of the rising sun couldn't be written off even when they were trailing the USA by a goal in the 116th minute.
And as they say, “Cometh the moment, cometh the man.” Only this time to be rephrased by the word “woman”.
Sawa recollects vividly a feeling that she was going to score. And score she did. Off of a corner that landed short of the six-yard box, Sawa rushed in and helped it on with the side off her foot with a Zlatan-esque flair to score what remains the most ridiculously beautiful goal in World Cup finals. From there on the Japanese women defeated the USA in the penalty shootout to inscribe their names forever in history.
For her contributions that year – which included winning the World Cup with Japan (she won the Golden Shoe in the tournament), Sawa was recognised as the 2011 FIFA footballer of the year.
A veteran of six World Cup, Sawa played for five clubs in her career. After making her debut in L. League, Japan’s highest domestic league with NTV Beleza in 1991 at the age of 12, she moved to Denver Diamonds in 1999. She later joined Atlanta Beat in 2001 before returning to Japan in 2003 and signing for NTV Beleza.
In 2004, the Japanese attacking midfielder was named the Women Player Of The Year for the Asian Football Confederation. With NTV Beleza Sawa won the Nadeshiko League an astounding eight times, the Empress' Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament a further seven times and Nadeshiko League Cup once.
She then on to play for Washington Freedom and INAC Kobe Leonessa with whom she won the Nadeshiko League thrice, the Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament, the International Women’s Club Championship and Nadeshiko League Cup once each.
Here is a video of Sawa scoring that sensational goal against USA in the 2011 FIFA Women’s Football World Cup Final.
