SHINJI KAGAWA

Cerezo Osaka

Message

I’m Shinji Kagawa. Thank you for your continued support.

I take on world every day through football.
I think this is similar to Yanmar, with its challenging spirit, using technology to pave the way into the future, and takes on the world from Japan.

As a Yanmar Ambassador, I will work hard to provide children with dreams and hope. I hope that you will continue to support me.

Kagawa as a Yanmar Ambassador

With his technical mastery and agility, Kagawa competes among the world’s top football players, and continues to rise to the challenge of competing on the global stage. YANMAR too strives to operate at a global level to create a society that offers an exciting life filled with rich and fulfilling experiences, as expressed in our company vision.
Kagawa’s desire to support the dreams and aspirations of children has much in common with YANMAR’s spirit of realizing ‘A Sustainable Future’ and developing future generations. To help us work towards these mutual goals, Kagawa attends various events in his capacity as a Yanmar Ambassador, such as children’s football clinics.
He also appears in YANMAR’s television commercials and posters.

SHINJI KAGAWA FOOTBALL CLINIC

PROFILE

Kagawa started playing football in kindergarten and was chosen as a selected member for his hometown of Kobe in fourth grade. After graduating from elementary school, he attended a football program in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. He played for the FC Miyagi Barcelona junior youth team while attending junior high school. In 2005, while in 11th grade, Kagawa signed a provisional contract with J.League’s Cerezo Osaka, and he joined the team the next year in 2006. In 2007, he secured a place as a regular member and became a core player for Cerezo Osaka. In addition to representing Japan on its U-19 team, he skipped a section to play on the Japan national U-23 team in the Beijing Olympics, and in 2008 he was selected for Japan’s senior team.

In the 2010/11 season, he transferred to Borussia Dortmund in Germany’s Bundesliga. He played a major role for the team, including being selected as an MVP, and significantly contributed to Borussia Dortmund’s two consecutive victories in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. In 2012, he transferred to Manchester United in England’s Premier League, making his taking part in the winning of the 2013 league championship the first such achievement by a Japanese player. In 2014, he played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil on the Japan national team wearing ace jersey No. 10. In September 2014, he returned to Borussia Dortmund in Germany’s Bundesliga. He subsequently transferred to Beşiktaş in Turkey’s top league, to Real Zaragoza in Spain’s second tier league, and then to PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece’s top league. He transferred to Belgium’s Sint-Truidense V.V. for the 2022 season and continued to constantly challenge himself overseas. In February 2023, he returned to Cerezo Osaka after twelve and a half years.

Inquiries and Support