Asako Takakura

Born in 1968 in Fukushima, Japan, Asako Takakura is a former international footballer and current football coach. By the age of 15 she was already playing for the Japanese national team,where she went on to make 79 appearances and score 29 goals. She made her professional debut for Yomiuri Beleza in 1985 and spent the next 14 years playing in the Japanese L League, before a stint in America. She returned to Japan in 2001 and spent the rest of her playing career at Speranza FC Takatsuki, retiring in 2004. After retirement Takakura became a coach at various youth levels and in 2016 she succeed Norio Sasaki to coach the national team 'Nadeshiko Japan', becoming the team's first female manager. In 2018 she was named Asian Football Confederation's "Women's Coach of the Year" for the sixth time.