Japan’s new star

At the age of 22, Manaka Matsukubo has just received her first nomination for the Women’s Ballon d'Or.

The Japanese forward, who can also play as an attacking midfielder, is one of the shortest players ever to be nominated for one of the awards at the ceremony, standing at just 1.55m.

What she lacks in height, however, she more than makes up for in determination. And it is no coincidence that she has spent so many years playing for a team that has ‘Courage’ in its name.

Her early years in Japan

Matsukubo was born in Kagoshima, in southern Japan, on 27 July 2004.

She began her football career in 2017, in the youth ranks of the JFA Academy Fukushima. She spent six years at the club, scoring 33 goals in 51 matches and winning two titles: the Nadeshiko Challenge League in 2020 and the Nadeshiko League 2 in 2021.

In 2023, Matsukubo transferred to Mynavi Sendai in the WE League, the top flight of Japanese women’s football.

It was her first experience as a professional player. During that time, she scored four goals in 12 matches and helped Sendai finish the season in fourth place.

Her breakthrough in the NWSL

Later that year, Matsukubo moved to the United States to play for North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on a one-year loan.

And her first season with the Courage, even as a loanee, showed the world what she was capable of.

In September, just one month after her debut, she became the youngest player ever to start a match in the history of the NWSL Challenge Cup. A few days later, she broke another record by becoming the youngest player to score in the tournament – in the final, no less, in a 2–0 victory over Racing Louisville.

Matsukubo played 17 matches in that first season, enough to convince the Courage to sign her on a permanent basis in 2024.

Since then, she has continued to break records in the league, largely due to her young age.

In June 2025, Matsukubo became the second-youngest player in NWSL history to be directly involved in goals in five consecutive regular-season matches, behind only Trinity Rodman.

In October, she scored her first hat-trick in the NWSL, in a 4–1 victory over Bay FC, and once again became the youngest player to achieve the feat in the league’s history.

It was an exceptional season for Matsukubo. She finished as the NWSL’s third-highest goalscorer, with 11 goals in 26 matches, and was also named in the league’s Team of the Year.

In total, she scored 13 goals in 44 appearances for the Courage before deciding to take the next step in her career and move to Chelsea in the English Women’s Super League in July 2026.

A standout for the national team too

Matsukubo’s career with the Japanese national team is also progressing rapidly.

Whilst still at youth level, she helped Japan reach the final of the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, as well as taking part in the 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup.

At the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Matsukubo was highly praised for her performances, particularly after scoring two goals in the 2–0 semi-final victory over the Netherlands.

She made her debut for the Japan senior team in February 2025.

Just over a year later, in March 2026, she scored her first goal for Japan in a 7–0 rout of the Philippines at that year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

As of September 2026, this remains her only goal in 14 appearances for the national team.

First nomination for the ‘Ballon d'Or’

Now, after several years of significant progress, Matsukubo has capped her rise with her first nomination for the Women’sBallon d'Or.

She is only the fifth Japanese player in history to be nominated for the award.

Japanese players nominated for the Women’sBallon d'Or:

  • Saki Kumagai (2018)

  • Hinata Miyazawa (2023)

  • Yui Hasegawa (2023, 2024 and 2026)

  • Momoko Tanikawa (2026)

  • Manaka Matsukubo (2026)