Four days after winning the Asian Cup in Australia, a 21-year-old Japanese woman took to the pitch at Old Trafford, still feeling the effects of an exhausting journey.

Without batting an eyelid, she turned the match against Manchester United on its head with an assist and the winning goal in the 84th minute.

Her name is Momoko Tanikawa and her incredible breakthrough into Bayern Munich’s first team has taken the whole world by surprise.

So, it’s time to discover the story of ‘Momo’, the player who enjoyed a dream season and earned herself a place amongst the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Her roots in Nagoya

Momoko Tanikawa was born in the city of Nagoya and grew up in a family deeply committed to social causes.

Her parents worked in elderly care, whilst two of her sisters are nurses and work in the healthcare sector.

In this family environment characterised by mutual support, ‘Momo’ began kicking a ball around when she was just three or four years old at a local school.

However, her love for football was cemented in 2011 when, at the age of 6, she watched the Japan national team be crowned world champions in Germany on television.

The achievements of Homare Sawa and that ‘golden generation’ fascinated her so much that, from that moment on, she set herself a clear goal: one day she would succeed on the big European stages.

The art of reading the game

Tanikawa is a midfielder. Her place is in the centre of the pitch and the ball is her best friend on the green turf.

In a way, the supportive environment in which she grew up helped shape her own philosophy on the pitch.

For ‘Momo’, football is a collective effort where her priority is to make life easier for her teammates.

The Japanese player analyses the game like a jigsaw puzzle, spotting open spaces before the ball reaches her to open up passing lanes and inject dynamism into the team.

It is therefore no coincidence that her greatest role models are midfield architects such as Andrés Iniesta and Kevin De Bruyne.

Players who do not need to impose themselves physically, but who control the match with their minds and empower those around them with a single touch.

The move to Europe and a golden showcase

After shining for teams in Nagoya and honing her technique at the prestigious JFA Academy in Fukushima, FC Bayern Munich decided to sign her in early 2024.

To help her settle into the pace of competition on the continent, the German club agreed to loan her to FC Rosengård in Sweden, where Takinawa was crowned league champion and finished as the tournament’s top scorer.

On her return to Munich, she immediately established herself in the first team, going on to win the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the German Super Cup.

That success at club level was also reflected in the Japan national team, where she won gold at the Asian Games, the SheBelieves Cup and the recent 2026 Asian Cup.

At the age of 21, ‘Momo’ boasts a trophy haul worthy of a seasoned veteran.

A force to be reckoned with at the elite level

Her breakthrough in the Bayern Munich shirt and her nomination for the 2026 ‘Ballon d'Or’ show that Momoko Tanikawa is no longer just a promising talent…

Now, ‘Momo’ has established herself as a fixture in European elite football and is the hope of Japanese football as it looks towards a promising future.

That little girl from Nagoya who, back in 2011, used to dream whilst watching television, is now setting the pace in the most demanding football on the planet.