Mana Iwabuchi

Nippon TV Beleza

At the age of 14, on 21 October 2007, she debuted for Nippon TV Beleza in the Nadeshiko League, Japan's premier division for women's football. By the next year, she had established herself within the first team and received the Best Young Player award for the 2008 season. During the Nadeshiko League Cup Final on 22 August 2010, her goal in the final minute led Nippon TV Beleza to a 3–2 win against Urawa Reds Ladies. She was named the tournament's MVP. Post-match, she commented on her performance, reflecting a desire to improve and measure up to the standards set by Homare Sawa. She inherited the number 10 jersey from Sawa in the subsequent season at the age of 17. In the 2011 season, she was the top scorer for her team and the third-highest in the league with 9 goals. Her efforts earned her the Most Hardworking Player award, and she was chosen for the league's Best Eleven.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 28 November 2012, Iwabuchi joined 1899 Hoffenheim in the 2. Bundesliga 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. In the following season, she…

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. 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. 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." Iwabuchi participated in the 2009 AFC U-19 Women's Championship 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, and the only goal of the semi-final against DPR Korea, 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 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 award (which would later become the FIFA Ballon D'or) in 2009. She was the fourth Japanese player in history and first female player to be nominated for this award. The Japanese team was not as successful at 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany, facing elimination in the group stage.…

A versatile player, Iwabuchi plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward and on either wing. The Japan national team usually plays a 4–4–2 formation, and Iwabuchi most often assumes the role of the second striker where she essentially functions in the number 10 role as a playmaking attacking midfielder 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 allow 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 due to her quick feet, dribbling 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…

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 age eight, she followed in Ryota's 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, 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 as a midfielder.