Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳, Hirao Chika, born 31 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for WE League club Albirex Niigata and the Japan women's national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 December 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Matsudo, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Albirex Niigata | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2014 | JFA Academy Fukushima | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Urawa Reds | 34 | (0) |
| 2018– | Albirex Niigata | 58 | (0) |
| Total | 92 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2012 | Japan U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016 | Japan U-20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2018– | Japan | 4 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 December 2018 | |||
Club career
editHirao was born in Matsudo on December 31, 1996. She joined L.League club Urawa Reds from JFA Academy Fukushima in 2014. She played many matches as a regular goalkeeper, helping the club become the champions in the first season. However her opportunity to play decreased behind Sakiko Ikeda from 2015 season. In 2018, she moved to Albirex Niigata.
National team career
editIn September 2012, when Hirao was 15 years old, she was selected Japan U-17 national team for 2012 U-17 Women's World Cup and she played 3 matches as regular goalkeeper. In November 2016, she was selected Japan U-20 national team for 2016 U-20 Women's World Cup. She played 5 matches and Japan won the 3rd place.[1]
In April 2018, Hirao was selected Japan national team for 2018 Women's Asian Cup. Although she did not play in any matches, Japan won the championship after two tournaments in a row. On August 2, she debuted against Australia.[2]
On 13 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.[3]
National team statistics
edit| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 |
References
edit- ^ Chika Hirao – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ Japan Football Association
- ^ "Iwabuchi left out of Japan's World Cup squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ List of match in 2018, 2019 at Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
External links
edit- Chika Hirao – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Chika Hirao at Soccerway
- Chika Hirao at WorldFootball.net
- Japan Football Association
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