Mina Tanaka

About

Mina Tanaka (田中 美南, Tanaka Mina; born April 28, 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for National Women’s Soccer League club Utah Royals and the Japan national team. She has previously played for Tokyo Verdy Beleza, Bayer Leverkusen, and INAC Kobe Leonessa.

Tanaka was born in Thailand on April 28, 1994 to a Japanese father and a Thai mother. She returned to Japan soon after her birth and grew up in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. She graduated from Kanagawa Prefectural Yurigaoka High School in March 2013.

On May 3, 2011, she made her debut for Nippon TV Beleza in a 1–0 loss to Okayama Yunogo Belle. On August 14, she scored her first goal in a 5–0 home victory against Fukuoka J. Anclas. She became top scorer in 2016 and 2017. She was also selected Best Eleven for 3 years in a row (2015–2017).
In 2020, Tanaka signed for INAC Kobe Leonessa. After the season was delayed by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanaka made her club debut in the season opener on July 18. She scored the only goal of the match. On 3 February 2020, she joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season
On July 5, 2024…