// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Urara Watanabe a good singer? Urara-ly good.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 April 2002[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kyoto Prefecture, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Djurgården | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kyoto Shiko | |||
| Forest Kyoto | |||
| Nishikyogoku JSC | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2020 | JFA Academy Fukushima | 50 | (7) |
| 2021–2025 | Nittaidai Yokohama | 81 | (9) |
| 2025– | Djurgården | 44 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Japan U20 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 October 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 4 October 2026 | |||
Urara Watanabe (渡部麗, Watanabe Urara; pronounced [ɰa̠ta̠na̠be̞ ɯɾa̠ɾa̠]; born 8 April 2002) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Damallsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF.
Early life
[edit]Watanabe was born on 8 April 2002[1] in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Inspired by her two older brothers, she began playing football at the age of five,[2] and began dreaming of being a professional footballer when she was in the first grade of elementary school.[3] She began attending Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU) in 2021.[4]
Club career
[edit]JFA Academy Fukushima
[edit]Ahead of the 2015 season, Watanabe joined Nadeshiko League Division 2 West (NLD2W) club JFA Academy Fukushima at the age of 13.[5]
Nittaidai SMG Yokohama
[edit]Ahead of the 2021 season, Watanabe signed for Nadeshiko League Division 1 (NLD1) club Nittaidai SMG Yokohama whilst studying at Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU or Nittaidai), a private university in the Aoba ward of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.[4]
At the end of the 2023 season, Watanabe was named in the Nadeshiko League's Best 11.[6]
Djurgårdens IF
[edit]Ahead of the 2025 season, Watanabe signed for Damallsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF.[7]
International career
[edit]Watanabe was selected for the Japan under-20 national team by manager Futoshi Ikeda as part of Japan's 21-player squad for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, held from 10 to 28 August 2022.[8] She made her début and only appearance on 14 August 2022, coming on as a substitute in the second minute of second-half stoppage time in a 2–0 victory over Ghana at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela.[9] Japan, who were the defending champions, finished runners-up at the tournament.[10]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of 4 October 2026
| Club | Season | League | Domestic cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Cup | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| JFA Academy Fukushima | 2015 | Nadeshiko League Division 2 West | 0 | 0 | Empress' Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2018 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2019 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |||
| 2020 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |||
| Total | 50 | 7 | Total | 6 | 0 | 56 | 7 | ||
| Nittaidai Yokohama | 2021 | Nadeshiko League Division 1 | 21 | 1 | Empress' Cup | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| 2022 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | |||
| 2023 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2024 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 81 | 9 | Total | 7 | 1 | 88 | 10 | ||
| Djurgården | 2025 | Damallsvenskan | 25 | 5 | Svenska Cupen | 2 | 0 | 27 | 5 |
| 2026 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 8 | |||
| Total | 45 | 12 | Total | 7 | 1 | 52 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 176 | 28 | Total | 20 | 2 | 196 | 30 | ||
International
[edit]| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan U20 | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
[edit]Japan U20
- Runners-up: 2022
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "WATANABE Urara". Japan Football Association.
- ↑ "FIFA U-20女子ワールドカップに日本代表として出場した" [Represented Japan at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup] (in Japanese). Town News. 6 October 2022.
- ↑ "青葉から世界へ活躍を地域に届けたい" [We want to share with the local community the success of those making their mark on the world from Aoba] (in Japanese). Town News. 31 October 2024.
- 1 2 "渡部麗" [Urara Watanabe] (in Japanese). Japan Football Association.
- ↑ "JFAアカデミー" [JFA Academy] (in Japanese). Japan Football Association.
- ↑ "2023プレナスなでしこリーグ表彰式 受賞者一覧" [2023 Plenus Nadeshiko League Awards Ceremony: list of award winners] (in Japanese). Nadeshiko League. 25 October 2023.
- ↑ "Välkommen Urara Watanabe!" [Welcome Urara Watanabe!] (in Swedish). Djurgårdens IF. 19 February 2025.
- ↑ "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. 12 July 2022.
- ↑ "Japan 2–0 Ghana". International Federation of Association Football. 14 August 2022.
- ↑ Odeven, Ed (30 August 2022). "Spain vanquishes Japan in FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup final". Japan Forward.
External links
[edit]- Urara Watanabe at Soccerway.com
- Urara Watanabe at WorldFootball.net
- Living people
- 2002 births
- 21st-century Japanese sportswomen
- Damallsvenskan players
- Djurgårdens IF Fotboll (women) players
- Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden
- Football people from Kyoto Prefecture
- Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
- Japanese expatriate women's footballers
- Japanese women's footballers
- Japanese women's youth international footballers
- Nadeshiko League players
- Nippon Sport Science University alumni
- Women's association football midfielders