Kumagai is sheepish when asked about her role as a mentor for these young players she now calls teammates: “I didn’t give that much advice to young players. Kumagai is the last remaining link between the past and the future of Japanese women’s football. “We have a lot of good young players,” Kumagai says. There are many young players playing in Europe or overseas. This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts.

Source: The Guardian March 31, 2026 11:15 UTC