The formidable striker surpassed Australia\u2019s Cortnee Vine and Korea Republic\u2019s Kim Hye-ri to become the fourth Japanese player, after Homare Sawa, Aya Miyama, and Saki Kumagai to win the prestigious accolade.
\nBefore joining England\u2019s Women\u2019s Super League side Brighton & Hove Albion\u2014where she made history as the first player to score a hattrick on her debut\u2014the 28-year-old spent a decade showcasing her goalscoring prowess with WE League\u2019s Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, I don’t think I’m at the same standard as these iconic players yet, but I am focused on working hard to reach their heights. Right now, this recognition has proven that I am on the right path and that the belief I had in myself was justified.\u201d
\nHer impressive tally of 20 goals and 10 assists last season led the Saitama-based side to back-to-back WE League titles and the AFC Women\u2019s Club Championship\u2122 \u06f2\u06f0\u06f2\u06f3 crown, earning her both the Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer awards, as well as a spot on the league\u2019s Best XI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis club has essentially brought me up for the last 15 years. I entered the club\u2019s system as a 13-year-old and have come a long way since. All the great results I have achieved are thanks to my teammates who have supported me and helped me grow as a player, for which I am truly grateful.\u201d
\nWhile her club success has already cemented her place in Japanese football, Seike’s desire to bring home silverware for the Nadeshiko remains firm. The Japanese number 17 made three appearances at the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 and feels she is yet to unleash her full potential for the national team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am working really hard on myself and want to achieve a lot more than I have for the Nadeshikos. Among my top priorities are to win the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup for Japan, and also become Olympic champions,\u201d she said.
\nIn fact, with the dominance of Japan\u2019s age-group national team taking the runners-up position in the FIFA Women\u2019s U-20 World Cup Colombia 2024, Seike is hopeful of a brighter age for women\u2019s football in Japan, who last won the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup in 2011.
\n\u201cI am optimistic about the future and am really hopeful that, with the potential of the younger generation and the experience of the seniors, we can work together to elevate Japanese football and promote the sport across the Continent. I am excited and ready to help the Nadeshikos find their way to the top again,\u201d said Seike.
\n\u201cEven beyond Japan, I think the future for Asian women\u2019s football is bright. We have improved significantly both technically and physically, and I am excited for what the future holds for us,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The formidable striker surpassed Australia\u2019s Cortnee Vine and Korea Republic\u2019s Kim Hye-ri to become the fourth Japanese player, after Homare Sawa, Aya Miyama, and Saki Kumagai to win the prestigious accolade. Before joining England\u2019s Women\u2019s Super League side Brighton & Hove Albion\u2014where she made history as the first player to score a hattrick on her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1039329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20967],"tags":[3733,28042],"class_list":["post-1039328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afc-news","tag-afc","tag-afc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1039328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1039328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1039328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1039329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1039328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1039328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1039328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}