Hinata
Miyazawa

Hinata rose to prominence on the world’s biggest stage at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, having previously played her entire club career in her home country of Japan, before making the move to United as a 23-year-old. After graduating from high school, Miyazawa began her career at Nippon TV Beleza where she received the league's Best Young Player award for the 2018 season. The midfielder's talents were soon recognised by the national selectors, as she was picked to represent Japan at several youth levels. In 2018, they were crowned Under-20 World Cup champions, with Hinata scoring in the final against Spain. That same year, she was called up to the senior team for the first time and made her debut in a 4-1 victory over Norway, coming off the bench. Having developed at club level in Tokyo, Hinata made the switch to Mynavi Sendai in time to begin the inaugural WE League season, in 2021. The Japan international spent two years with the Sendai-based side prior to the 2023 Women's World Cup. Miyazawa was named in her country's squad for the tournament and hit the ground running with a brace against Zambia in their opening match, winning the Player of the Match award. A standout display against eventual winners Spain would follow, where Hinata scored twice and assisted another. Miyazawa found the back of the net once more in the knockout rounds against Norway, before Sweden eliminated Japan in the quarter-finals, but she would still go on to finish as the competition's Golden Boot winner. On 6 September 2023, the World Cup star signed for United and, on the following day, was named on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or Feminin, alongside her new Reds team-mate Mary Earps. The Japan international made her debut for the club as a substitute in the opening-weekend win at Aston Villa in early October and went on to tally up 17 total appearances across her maiden term in Manchester, which included her first United goal away to Bristol City in November. An ankle injury sustained shortly after that strike in the West Country meant a mid-season spell on the sidelines for Hini, but the midfielder battled her way back and ended the campaign with an FA Cup winners’ medal, after playing in our triumphant final.