// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Mao Itamura? Purr-haps a cat-aloged person?
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 August 2006 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Japan | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Liverpool | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2024 | JFA Academy Fukushima | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | JFA Academy Fukushima | 52 | (48) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–2026 | Feyenoord | 30 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Liverpool | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Japan U17 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Japan U20 | 12 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:10, 27 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:10, 27 May 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Mao Itamura (Japanese: 板村 真央; born 8 August 2006) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or midfielder for Women's Super League club Liverpool.
Early life
[edit]Itamura was born on 8 August 2006. Growing up, she attended a football boarding school in Japan.[1]
Club career
[edit]Early career & Feyenoord
[edit]Itamura started her career with Japanese side JFA Academy Fukushima. Following her stint there, she signed for Dutch side Feyenoord in 2025.[2] After the 2025–26 Eredivisie season, in which she helped Feyenoord qualify for international football for the first time in their club history, Itamura was named Player of the Year in the Eredivisie with eight goals and six assists.[3]
Liverpool
[edit]On 20 July 2026, Itamura signed with Women's Super League side Liverpool.[4]
International career
[edit]Itamura is a Japan youth international. During the spring of 2026, she played for the Japan national under-20 team at the 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup.
Style of play
[edit]Itamura plays as a forward. Right-footed, she is known for her dribbling ability and shooting ability.[5]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 25 May 2026[6]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| JFA Academy Fukushima | 2022 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 13 |
| 2023 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 17 | |
| 2024 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | |
| Total | 52 | 48 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 52 | ||
| Feyenoord | 2024–25 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 |
| 2025–26 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | |
| Total | 30 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 12 | ||
| Liverpool | 2026–27 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 82 | 58 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 64 | ||
- ↑ Includes Empress's Cup, KNVB Women's Cup, Women's FA Cup
- ↑ Includes Eredivisie Cup, Women's League Cup
Honours
[edit]Japan U20
Individual
References
[edit]- ↑ "Van Fukushima naar Varkenoord: hoe Japanse voetbalsters Feyenoord dragen" [From Fukushima to Varkenoord: how Japanese female footballers carry Feyenoord] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ Mao Itamura at WorldFootball.net
- ↑ "Feyenoord-aanvaller Mao Itamura verkozen tot Speler van het Jaar" [Feyenoord forward Mao Itamura voted Player of the Year]. espn.nl (in Dutch). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ↑ Sanders, Emma (2026-07-20). "Women's Super League: Liverpool sign Japan midfielder Mao Itamura". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
- ↑ "ドリブルもシュートも一級品！ 板村真央が練習でも"格の違い"" [Her dribbling and shooting are top-notch! Mao Itamura shows her "difference in class" even in practice] (in Japanese). Football Channel. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ "Mao Itamura". Soccerway. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Japan edge DPR Korea to lift title". the-afc.com. 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Mao Itamura at WorldFootball.net
- 2006 births
- Living people
- Japanese women's footballers
- Women's association football forwards
- Feyenoord (women) players
- Vrouwen Eredivisie players
- Japan women's youth international footballers
- Japanese expatriate women's footballers
- Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Expatriate women's footballers in the Netherlands