Yukari Kinga

Yukari Kinga
近賀ゆかり
	Kinga playing for Japan in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Yukari Kinga
Date of birth	2 May 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Height	1.61 m (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina
Number	10
Youth career
2000–2002	Shonan Gakuin High School
Senior career*
Years	Team
2003–2010	Nippon TV Beleza
2011–2013	INAC Kobe Leonessa
2014	Arsenal
2015–2016	INAC Kobe Leonessa
2016–2017	Canberra United
2017–2019	Melbourne City
2019	Orca Kamogawa
2019–2020	Melbourne City
2020	Orca Kamogawa
2021-	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina
Total
International career
2002	Japan U-20
2005–2016	Japan
Medal record
Nippon TV Beleza
INAC Kobe Leonessa
Representing Japan
Olympic Games
FIFA Women's World Cup
AFC Women's Asian Cup
Asian Games
AFC U-19 Women's Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 December 2019

Yukari Kinga (近賀ゆかり, Kinga Yukari, born 2 May 1984) is a Japanese football player. She plays as a defender for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina in the WE League. She previously played for the Japan women's national football team, winning a World Cup and an Olympic silver medal before her international retirement in 2016.

Club career

In Japan until 2013

Kinga was born in Yokohama on 2 May 1984. After graduating from high school, she joined Nippon TV Beleza in 2003 where she played as attacking midfielder and right-winger. In the 2003 season, she was given the Nadeshiko League's Best Young Player award. During her time at Nippon TV Beleza, the club won the Nadeshiko League championship 5 times. In 2011, she moved to INAC Kobe Leonessa with international players Homare Sawa, Shinobu Ohno and Chiaki Minamiyama due to financial strain at the club. At INAC Kobe Leonessa, the club won the Nadeshiko League championship for 3 years in a row (2011–2013). She was selected to the league's Best XI for 6 years in a row (2007–2012).

In January 2014, INAC's general manager revealed that Kinga had agreed to join English FA WSL club Arsenal Ladies^[1] and in February she officially signed the contract.^[2] At Arsenal, Kinga helped propel the club to reach the final of the 2014 FA Women's Cup which they won in a 2–0 margin over Everton.^[3]

She re-signed with INAC Kobe in early 2015.^[4] In 2016, she began playing in the Australian W-League for Canberra United.^[5] In October 2017, Kinga joined defending W-League champions Melbourne City.^[6] In February 2019, she returned to Japan and joined Orca Kamogawa FC.^[7] In October 2019, Kinga re-signed with Melbourne City.^[8] In February 2020, it was announced that Kinga would re-sign with Orca Kamogawa at the end of the 2019–20 W-League season.^[9]

National team career

In August 2002, Kinga was selected by the Japan U-20 women's national team for the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship.^[10] On 29 March 2005, she debuted for the Japan women's national team against Australia.^[11] She was playing as an attacking midfielder and right-winger until 2007, when she was converted to rightback by manager Hiroshi Ohashi. After she converted her position, she became a regular player in the Japan national team. Japan won the 2011 World Cup in which Kinga played in the final,^[12] came second in the 2015 World Cup and earned a silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She played 100 games and scored 5 goals for Japan until her retirement in 2016.

Club statistics

Club	Season	League		National Cup		League Cup		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nippon TV Beleza	2003	20	6	4	4	-		24	10
	2004	14	7	4	1	-		18	8
	2005	18	6	5	2	-		23	8
	2006	14	2	3	3	-		17	5
	2007	21	3	4	0	2	1	27	4
	2008	20	0	4	1	-		24	1
	2009	21	3	4	0	-		25	3
	2010	18	3	1	0	6	1	25	4
	Total	146	30	29	11	8	2	183	43
INAC Kobe Leonessa	2011	16	1	4	0	-		20	1
	2012	18	2	3	0	5	0	24	2
	2013	8	0	4	2	5	0	17	2
	Total	42	3	11	2	10	0	61	5
Career total		188	33	40	13	18	2	244	48

National team statistics

^[11]^[13]

Japan national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2005	1	0
2006	2	0
2007	16	0
2008	18	1
2009	3	1
2010	15	2
2011	17	0
2012	15	1
2013	1	0
2014	4	0
2015	5	0
2016	3	0
Total	100	5

International goals
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	12 August 2008	Shanghai, China	Norway	1–1	1–5	Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2.	1 August 2009	Montargis, France	France	0–3	0–4	Friendly Match
3.	6 February 2010	Chōfu, Japan	China	2–0	2–0	2010 EAFF Women's Football Championship
4.	8 May 2010	Matsumoto, Japan	Mexico	1–0	4–0	Friendly Match
5.	1 April 2012	Sendai, Japan	United States	1–0	1–1	Kirin Challenge Cup

Honors

International career

Japan

Summer Olympics: Silver Medal: 2012^[14]
FIFA Women's World Cup: Champion: 2011^[14]
Asian Games: Gold Medal: 2010^[15]
East Asian Football Championship: Champions: 2008, 2010

Club

Nippon TV Beleza^[16]^[17]

L.League:Champion (5): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
Nadeshiko League Cup: Champion (2): 2007, 2010
Empress's Cup: Champion (5): 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009

INAC Kobe^[16]^[17]

L.League:Champion (3): 2011, 2012, 2013^[17]
Empress's Cup: Champion (3): 2011, 2012, 2013
Nadeshiko League Cup: Champion (1): 2012

Arsenal^[3]

FA Women's Cup: Champion (1): 2014

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina^[18]

WE League Cup: Champion (1): 2023–24

Individual

L.League: Best 11 (6): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012^[16]
L.League: Best Young Player: 2003^[17]
Nadeshiko League Cup: MVP: 2007^[17]

References

^ "Nadeshiko Japan's Kawasumi to play for U.S. team". The Japan Times. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
^ "Club signs Yukari Kinga and Shinobu Ohno". arsenal.com. Arsenal L.F.C. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Women's FA Cup final: Arsenal beat Everton to retain trophy". BBC Sport.
^ "Kinga and Ohno return to INAC Kobe". shekicks.net. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
^ Dutton, Chris (5 October 2016). "Canberra United Japan soccer great Yukari Kinga to boost W-League title hopes". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
^ Davutovic, David (25 October 2017). "Melbourne City caps off W-League signing spree with international duo Alanna Kennedy and Yukari Kinga". Herald Sun.
^ Orca Kamogawa FC(in Japanese)
^ "Melbourne City FC re-signs three W-League stars". Melbourne City. 30 October 2019.
^ "近賀ゆかり選手再加入のお知らせ" [Notice of re-signing of Yukari Kinga] (in Japanese). Orca Kamogawa. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ "FIFA". Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b Japan Football Association(in Japanese)
^ "USA v Japan – as it happened". The Guardian. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
^ List of match in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 at Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
^ ^a ^b "Y. KINGA". Soccerway.com.
^ "Yukari Kinga". Eurosport.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Canberra United Japan soccer great Yukari Kinga to boost W-League title hopes". Canberra Times.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Canberra United secure Japanese international". W-League.com.au. 4 October 2016.
^ "Sanfrecce outlasts Albirex for WE League Cup title". JapanTimes. 14 October 2023.

External links

Yukari Kinga – FIFA competition record (archived)
Yukari Kinga at Soccerway
Yukari Kinga at WorldFootball.net
Yukari Kinga at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
Japan Football Association

[1] "Nadeshiko Japan's Kawasumi to play for U.S. team". The Japan Times. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.

[2] "Club signs Yukari Kinga and Shinobu Ohno". arsenal.com. Arsenal L.F.C. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2015.

[Arsenal-3] "Women's FA Cup final: Arsenal beat Everton to retain trophy". BBC Sport.

[4] "Kinga and Ohno return to INAC Kobe". shekicks.net. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.

[5] Dutton, Chris (5 October 2016). "Canberra United Japan soccer great Yukari Kinga to boost W-League title hopes". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.

[6] Davutovic, David (25 October 2017). "Melbourne City caps off W-League signing spree with international duo Alanna Kennedy and Yukari Kinga". Herald Sun.

[7] Orca Kamogawa FC(in Japanese)

[8] "Melbourne City FC re-signs three W-League stars". Melbourne City. 30 October 2019.

[9] "近賀ゆかり選手再加入のお知らせ" [Notice of re-signing of Yukari Kinga] (in Japanese). Orca Kamogawa. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.

[10] "FIFA". Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.

[JFA-11] Japan Football Association(in Japanese)

[12] "USA v Japan – as it happened". The Guardian. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

[13] List of match in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 at Japan Football Association (in Japanese)

[Stats-14] "Y. KINGA". Soccerway.com.

[Eurosport1-15] "Yukari Kinga". Eurosport.com.

[Feature-16] "Canberra United Japan soccer great Yukari Kinga to boost W-League title hopes". Canberra Times.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[Feature1-17] "Canberra United secure Japanese international". W-League.com.au. 4 October 2016.

[18] "Sanfrecce outlasts Albirex for WE League Cup title". JapanTimes. 14 October 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]