Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Vancouver: Two-time AFC Women’s Player of the Year Homare Sawa become the first footballer to appear in six FIFA World Cups on Monday (local time) when she appeared for Japan during their 1-0 FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 win over Switzerland.
Thanks to her 57 minutes against the Swiss, Sawa (pictured wearing 10) takes sole ownership of a record she once shared with seven other players, including four female footballers namely: Kristine Lilly (USA), Bente Nordby (Norway), Formiga (Brazil), and Birgit Prinz (Germany).
The male footballers who have appeared at five FIFA World Cup finals are: Antonio Carbajal (Mexico), Lothar Matthaeus (Germany) and Gianluigi Buffon (Italy).
The 36-year-old, winner of the Golden Shoe (top scorer) and Golden Boot (best player) as the Nadeshiko won the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, was named in Norio Sasaki’s 23-strong squad for the global extravaganza in Canada despite having been out of the national team set up for over a year.
She last played for Japan at the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup but injuries and a subsequent loss of form has meant that the Nadeshiko’s leading goal scorer hadn’t played at international level since helping Japan win their first senior Asian women’s title.
The experienced Sawa, who was an inductee into the inaugural AFC Hall of Fame as the Confederation celebrated its 60th Anniversary in Manila last year, was joined in the record books by Brazil’s Formiga a day later when the 37-year-old featured in the Canarinhas’ 2-0 Group E win over Korea Republic in Montreal.
Photo: FIFA / Getty Images