Introduction
Maika Hamano (浜野 まいか, Hamano Maika, born 9 May 2004) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Japan national team.
Club career
Hamano made her WE League debut for INAC Kobe Leonessa on 12 September 2021 in a 5–0 victory over Omiya Ardija Ventus.
On 13 January 2023, Hamano signed for Chelsea and was immediately loaned to Swedish side Hammarby IF. There, she made 17 league appearances and scored 7 goals during the 2023 Damallsvenskan season, before being recalled in September after sustaining a shoulder injury.
After recovering from injury, Hamano made her Women's Super League debut for Chelsea on 17 December 2023 in a 3–0 away win over Bristol City, replacing Lauren James in the second half.
International career
In July 2022, Hamano was included in the Japan under-20 team for the 2022 U-20 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up after losing to Spain in the final. She won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, and the Silver Boot as the second-best goalscorer behind Inma Gabarro.
Hamano made her senior team debut on 6 October 2022, when she came on as a substitute for Mina Tanaka in the 69th minute of a 2–0 friendly win over Nigeria. On 13 June 2023, she was included in Japan's 23-player squad for the 2023 World Cup.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cerezo Osaka Sakai | 2018 | Nadeshiko League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2020 | Nadeshiko League | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 21 | 8 | |||
| 2021 | Nadeshiko League | 14 | 5 | — | — | — | 14 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 37 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 46 | 17 | |||
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2021–22 | WE League | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23 | WE League | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 2 | ||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 5 | |||
| Chelsea | 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 3 | |
| Total | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 5 | ||
| Hammarby IF (loan) | 2023 | Damallsvenskan | 17 | 7 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 22 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 86 | 27 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 109 | 38 | ||
International
- As of match played 26 October 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | |
| Total | 16 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hamano goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2024 | Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain |  New Zealand | 1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–1 | |||||
| 3 | 13 July 2024 | Kanazawa Stadium, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan |  Ghana | 2–0 | 4–0 | MS&AD Cup |
| 4 | 31 July 2024 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2024 Summer Olympics |
Honours
INAC Kobe Leonessa
- WE League: 2021–22
Hammarby IF
- Swedish Cup: 2022–23
Chelsea
- Women's Super League: 2023–24
- FA Women's League Cup runner-up: 2023–24
Japan U16
- AFC U-16 Women's Championship: 2019
Individual
- AFC U-16 Women's Championship top scorer: 2019
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2022
- AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2022