Japanese player checks into the Women's First Division

For her it's a challenge and a dream come true.  For everyone else, this is something new. Japanese footballer, Maya Yamamoto has just checked in at Valencia's Women's team, becoming the club's fifth signing of the season and the only player from the Asian country currently plying their trade in the top flight of the Spanish game. Speaking upon her arrival, the Japanese player spoke of how Valencia have afforded her an opportunity that she has long dreamt of, "for years now I've been wanting to play in a foreign league."

"I know about sides like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid Women's team and Valencia. They're teams that are known the world over". Last matchday saw Maya Yamamoto make her first appearance for Valencia, coming off the bench in the 74th minute to replace Colombian player, Natalia Gaitan. Speaking to LaLiga to reflect on her debut, Maya had the following to say, "Although I didn't get many minutes, I was able to gain an appreciation of the pace at which the game is played and I enjoyed getting a first-hand feel of the backing from the supporters."

For those of you who are yet to see her in action, Yamamoto - who was educated at Waseda University, one of Japan's top higher education establishments- is a midfielder and it's really not difficult to pick her out on the pitch, thanks to the white boots she wears. The strong points of her game include: her mobility, skill on the ball and an ability to beat players in one-on-one situations. At just 23-years-old, she has already picked up several team honours. In 2010 she was part of the side that claimed the National University Tournament and in 2009 she team finished third in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship with Japan.

Having a Japanese footballer in the ranks isn't something new for Valencia though. Two seasons ago, during the 2013/14 campaign, Mitsue Iwakura turned out for the club.  The ex-Atletico Madrid player become one of the first names on Cristian Toro's Valencia team sheet side during her second year in Spain.

Enhorabuena, Maya, por el debut pic.twitter.com/11IfUcaYhY

— joyce (@joyce_rumi) March 13, 2016

 

Maya went on to speak of what has struck her so far in relation to the Spanish game, "the players are technically very good. I would also highlight the pace at which the game is played. I think that adapting to the league will be easy, given that the way football is played here is similar to Japan". Maya arrived in Spain on 10th March and on the 13th she was already gracing the Antonio Puchades stadium. She a player that promises a lot, or should that be, 約束 (yakusoku).