Mina Tanaka is a professional footballer known for her skills as a forward and attacking midfielder.
She plays for Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza, a prominent club in Japan.
Tanaka was part of the Japan women's national under-20 football team from 2012 onwards.
Biography
Early Life
Mina Tanaka was born on April 28, 1994, in Thailand to a Japanese father and a Thai mother. Shortly after her birth, she moved to Japan, where she grew up in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. Tanaka graduated from Kanagawa Prefectural Yurigaoka High School in March 2013, laying the foundation for her future in football.
Career
Tanaka's professional football career began when she debuted for Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza on May 3, 2011, in a match against Okayama Yunogo Belle. She quickly made her mark by scoring her first goal on August 14, 2011, in a 5–0 victory over Fukuoka J. Anclas. Over the years, she became a standout player, being named top scorer in 2016 and 2017 and earning a spot on the Best Eleven for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017.
In 2020, she signed with INAC Kobe Leonessa, making her debut in a delayed season opener due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where she scored the only goal of the match. Tanaka also had a loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen in early 2020. As of July 5, 2024, she plays for the Utah Royals in the National Women's Soccer League, having signed a contract extension through 2028.
National Team Career
Tanaka has represented Japan at various levels, including the U-17 and U-20 teams, achieving notable success such as a second-place finish at the 2010 U-17 World Cup and a third-place finish at the 2012 U-20 World Cup. She made her senior debut on March 8, 2013, and has since participated in significant tournaments, including the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, where Japan emerged as champions, and the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she scored in a group-stage match against Spain, showcasing her talent on the world stage. Tanaka was also named tournament MVP at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, contributing four goals and three assists to Japan's success.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
Club
As of match played April 4, 2026.
International
As of match played 11 April 2026
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tanaka goal.
Tanaka was part of the Japan U-17 national team that finished in second place at the 2010 U-17 World Cup and of the U-20 team that finished in third place at the 2012 U-20 World Cup. In February 2013, she received her first senior team call-up. On March 8, she made her debut for Japan and scored her first goal in a 2–1 loss to Germany in the 2013 Algarve Cup. On 19 March 2018, she was called up to the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, where Japan won the championship. On 18 June 2021, she was included in the Japan squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. On 7 January 2022, Tanaka was called up to the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup squad. On 13 June 2023, she was included in Japan's 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. On July 31, Tanaka scored in Japan's 4-0 group-stage victory in a match against Spain. On 14 June 2024, Tanaka was included in the Japan squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Tanaka was tournament MVP as part of the Japan squad that won the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. She scored four goals and had three assists across Japan's three matches of the tournament.
On May 3, 2011, she made her debut for Nippon TV Beleza in a 1–0 loss to Okayama Yunogo Belle. On August 14, she scored her first goal in a 5–0 home victory against Fukuoka J. Anclas. She became top scorer in 2016 and 2017. She was also selected Best Eleven for 3 years in a row (2015–2017). In 2020, Tanaka signed for INAC Kobe Leonessa. After the season was delayed by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanaka made her club debut in the season opener on July 18. She scored the only goal of the match. On 3 February 2020, she joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season On July 5, 2024, NWSL club Utah Royals signed Tanaka to a contract through the 2025 NWSL season. Tanaka signed a contract extension with Utah through 2028 on August 22, 2025.
- Club
- Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
- Club
- Japan women's national under-20 football team (2012–)
- Club
- Japan women's national football team (2013–)
Personal
Tanaka was born in Thailand on April 28, 1994 to a Japanese father and a Thai mother. She returned to Japan soon after her birth and grew up in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. She graduated from Kanagawa Prefectural Yurigaoka High School in March 2013.
Clubs
- Japan women's national under-20 football team2012current
- Japan women's national football team2013current
- Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Belezacurrent
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Mina Tanaka is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for National Women's Soccer League club Utah Royals and the Japan national team. She has previously played for Tokyo Verdy Beleza, Bayer Leverkusen, and INAC Kobe Leonessa.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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