Yui Hasegawa

Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯) 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 midfielder, she is capable of operating across the midfield either as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder.

Hasegawa was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on January 29, 1997.

She subsequently moved to Toda, Saitama with her family during her childhood.

She attended high school at Meguro Nihon University Junior High and High School.

In 2009, aged 11, she was accepted into Menina, the nation's top youth academy of the club she would later play for, Tokyo Verdy Beleza.

Over a four-year period from 2011 to 2014, she was a central figure behind Menina's successive titles at the JFA U-18 All Japan Youth Women's Football Tournaments.

While at the academy, she befriended and rose through the ranks with fellow players such as Risa Shimizu and Yuka Momiki, all of whom would go on play for the Japan national team together.

Born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and brought up in Toda, Saitama, Hasegawa played youth football with Tokyo Verdy Beleza before she began her career with the senior team in 2013.

In 2021, Hasegawa joined AC Milan before moving to West Ham United at the end of 2020-21 Serie A season.

She joined Manchester City in the summer of 2022 after spending one season with West Ham United.

Having progressed through the youth set-up of Tokyo Verdy Beleza, Hasegawa was promoted to the senior team in 2013.

She made her Nadeshiko League debut on March 23, 2013, as a sixteen-year-old, against FC Kibi IU Charme.

Despite her young age and relative inexperience in the first team, she quickly established herself as a regular starter in midfield, amongst other more accomplished senior teammates in the Japan national team at the time.

The 2015 season proved to be a breakout year for her in senior football.

She scored her first league goal in the Nadeshiko League against Iga FC Kunoichi on September 23, 2015, and played a key part in leading the team to win the championship that year, ending a five-year drought for the domestic title.

Hasegawa's time with the club coincide with one of the most successful period for the club.

During her eight seasons with Beleza, she won multiple trophies with Beleza; including five successive league titles, five Empress's Cup, three League Cup, and the inaugural AFC Women's Club Championship.

A full international since 2017, Hasegawa has represented Japan in the 2019 and 2023 FIFA World Cup, the 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the 2018 and 2022 AFC Asian Cup.

As of November 2023, she had scored 18 goals in 75 appearances for Japan.

Hasegawa was first selected to the Nadeshiko League Best XI in the 2017 season.

She won the domestic triple crown twice with Beleza, having done so consecutively in the 2018 and 2019 season.

She would repeated that feat again in 2018, 2019, and 2020, until she left Japan to play overseas in 2021.

At the age of 21, she reached the milestone of 100 league appearances for Beleza on May 3, 2018, in a scoreless draw against Nojima Stella Kanagawa. In total, she made 217 appearances and scored 40 goals for the club.

On January 29, 2021, it was announced that Hasegawa would join Serie A Femminile club AC Milan.

She netted a brace in her competitive debut for Milan in a 6–1 victory over Pink Bari on February 27, 2021, including one direct free-kick She was also awarded Player of the Match in that game.

She graduated from Nihon University in 2019.

Hasegawa began playing football in kindergarten at the age of six under the influence of her older brothers, and initially played amongst boys before joining a girls' football club around the age of nine.

In half a season in Italy, Hasegawa helped AC Milan finish runner-up in the league to qualify for the UEFA Women's Champions League 1st round and reached the 2020-21 Coppa Italia final.

In total, she featured in nine games and scored three goals for the club.

In August 2021, Hasegawa signed a two-year contract with English side West Ham United.

She scored her first goal for the club's first ever victory over Manchester City in the Women's Super League, assisting the first and scoring the second in their 2–0 win on October 3, 2021.

She scored again for West Ham in a 2–1 victory over Reading on April 24, 2022.

Both of these goals from Hasegawa won the WSL Goal of the Month awards, with the latter being nominated for the league's Goal of the Season as well.

In her first season with the Hammers, Hasegawa helped West Ham achieve sixth-place, their best ever finish in the league thus far, and reached the Women's FA Cup semi-finals.

On September 8, 2022, Hasegawa signed a three-year deal with fellow Women's Super League side Manchester City.

Her arrival at the club coincided with a mass squad turnover, which saw the departure of several key players through transfers and retirements.

While at Manchester City, she began playing as a defensive midfielder under manager Gareth Taylor, filling the gap left behind by Keira Walsh following her departure to FC Barcelona.

Hasegawa quickly established herself as a key player in the starting line-up as she helped spark a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions since joining the club.

She scored her first goal for the club in their 4–0 win against Leicester City on October 16, 2022.