Yanmar Ambassador Shinji Kagawa

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.

PROFILE

Shinji Kagawa began playing football in kindergarten. In fourth grade he was selected to be on the team of his hometown, Kobe. After graduating from elementary school, he attended middle school in Sendai City (Miyagi Prefecture), where he continued to develop his skills. During this time he was part of the FC Miyagi Barcelona junior youth team.Shinji Kagawa began playing football in kindergarten. In fourth grade he was selected to be on the team of his hometown, Kobe. After graduating from elementary school, he attended middle school in Sendai City (Miyagi Prefecture), where he continued to develop his skills. During this time he was part of the FC Miyagi Barcelona junior youth team.
In 2005 when he was in his second year of high school, Kagawa entered into a provisional contract with the J.League’s Cerezo Osaka and joined the following year in 2006. He became a first team regular in 2007 and went on to become the club’s leading player.
After being selected to be part of Japan’s U19 national team, he jumped up to the U23 Beijing Olympic national team, and in 2008 was selected as a member of the senior national team.

In the 2010/2011 season, Kagawa joined German Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. He was named in the Bundesliga Best XI, and played a major role in Borussia Dortmund winning back-to-back league titles in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. In 2012 he joined Manchester United, and in 2013 became the first Japanese player to win the English Premier League title. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Kagawa was a key component of Japan’s national team, wearing the number 10 shirt. In September 2014 he returned to Borussia Dortmund, and thereafter singed for trukish Super Lig team Besiktas, Real Zaragoza in Spain’s Segunda Division and PAOK Thessaloniki FC in Superleague Greece. He currently plays Sint Truidense VV in Jupiler Pro League in Belguim, where he continues to play at a high level.