SAORI TAKARADA

Leicester City WFC, England

Message

I am Saori Takarada and I will be serving as a Yanmar Ambassador.
I am grateful for the opportunity to take on challenges with everyone at Yanmar to provide excitement to many people. Starting junior high school was an opportunity for me to leave Toyama, where I was born and raised, and choose the path of playing football in Osaka.
Now, starting this year, I embarked on a new challenge as a professional football player in America.
By continuing to challenge myself with football, I want to continue to show many children plays that excite them and make them want to try to challenge themselves to do something as well.
Thank you for your support.

Takarada as a Yanmar Ambassador

Takarada trained with Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies, a leading Japanese fostering-style football club that represents Japan. She transferred to a league overseas starting with the 2021 season, and began to strive to provide excitement and inspiration to people, not only in Japan, but also around the world, through football. This matches our company’s vision of continuing to take on challenges globally to create an empowered future. Takarada will work with us to express our company’s vision and philosophy in various forms going forward.

PROFILE

Born December 27, 1999; from Tateyama-cho, Nakaniikawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture.
Plays forward, midfielder, and defender positions.
Takarada started playing football in elementary school, and in 2012, she left her hometown to enroll in JFA Academy Sakai (inaugural class), which had opened in Sakai-shi, Osaka Prefecture and also joined Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies at the same time. She has since been active as a key player for the team, playing multiple positions. Selected for the Japan national women’s U-17 team in 2016 and the Japan national team, “Nadeshiko Japan,” in 2019 for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Takarada has been active as a female football player representing Japan.
In 2021, she transferred to the Washington Spirit in the American women’s professional football league (NWSL). In 2022, Takarada transferred to Linköpings FC, a club in Sweden’s top league. In 2023, She transferred to Leicester City WFC in England. She currently continues to take on challenges in high-level international leagues.