| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aoba Fujino | ||
| Date of birth | 27 January 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Machida, Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester City | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Minamiosawa FC | |||
| Tokyo Verdy Sereias | |||
| 2019–2021 | Jumonji High School | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2024 | Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 51 | (24) |
| 2024– | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Japan U-20 | ||
| 2022– | Japan | 24 | (7) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:41, 13 July 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:59, 2 August 2024 (UTC) | |||
Aoba Fujino (藤野 あおば, Fujino Aoba, born 27 January 2004) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the Japan national team.
Club career
[edit]Fujino begun her youth career with Nippon TV Menina, the youth academy of Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Unable to progress through the youth rank, she left the team and instead went on to Jumonji High School. She rejoined Tokyo Verdy Beleza upon her graduation from high school.[1]
Fujino made her WE League debut on 16 October 2021.[2] On 2 August 2024, she signed a three-year deal with Women's Super League side Manchester City[3]
International career
[edit]In July 2022, Fujino was selected for the Japan U-20 national team for the 2022 U-20 Women's World Cup[4] where Japan were the runners-up.
On 13 June 2023, she was included in Japan's 23-player squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[5] On July 26, 2023, she scored her first World Cup goal against Costa Rica in the 2nd round of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, becoming the youngest Japanese goal scorer (19 years and 180 days) in the World Cup for both men and women.[6][7]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 18 May 2024[8]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 2021–22 | WE League | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| 2022–23 | WE League | 20 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 17 | |
| 2023–24 | WE League | 21 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 12 | |
| Total | 51 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 66 | 33 | ||
| Manchester City | 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 51 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 66 | 33 | ||
- ^ Includes Empress's Cup, Women's FA Cup
- ^ Includes WE League Cup, FA Women's League Cup
International
[edit]- As of match played 26 July 2024[9]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | |
| Total | 24 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fujino goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 July 2023 | Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai, Japan |  Panama
|
4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 26 July 2023 | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand |  Costa Rica
|
2–0 | 2–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 3 | 30 November 2023 | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil |  Brazil
|
1–0 | 3–4 | Friendly |
| 4 | 28 February 2024 | Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan |  North Korea
|
2–0 | 2–1 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 5 | 3 June 2024 | Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain |  New Zealand
|
3–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 13 July 2024 | Kanazawa Stadium, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan |  Ghana
|
4–0 | 4–0 | MS&AD Cup |
| 7 | 26 July 2024 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France |  Spain
|
1–0 | 1–2 | 2024 Summer Olympics |
Honours
[edit]Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Japan U20
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup runner-up: 2022
Individual
- 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: Bronze Boot
- WE League Best XI: 2022–23
- WE League Valuable Player Award: 2021–22、2022–23
References
[edit]- ^ "藤野あおば、20歳――WEリーグで増す存在感「得点はしたいし、取らなきゃいけない」". 集英社 スポルティーバ 公式サイト web Sportiva (in Japanese). 20 February 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Scoresheet" (PDF). weleague.jp. October 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Aoba Fujino: Manchester City sign Japan forward". BBC Sport. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ U-20 Japan Women's National Team squad - FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ (8/7-28＠Costa Rica) Japan Football Association
- ^ "Iwabuchi left out of Japan's World Cup squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Two goals in 2 minutes help Japan beat Costa Rica 2-0 at Women's World Cup". AP News. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino score BACK-TO-BACK goals to give Japan a 2-0 lead over Costa Rica | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup". FOX Sports. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Japan - A. Fujino - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
- ^ "Nadeshiko Japan | National Teams｜JFA｜Japan Football Association".
- ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Football: Ueki double leads Beleza to record 16th Empress's Cup". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
External links
[edit]- Aoba Fujino at Soccerway
- Aoba Fujino at WorldFootball.net
- Japan Football Association
Japan squads | |||||||
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