Ayu Nakada
Career. Influenced by her father, a football coach, she started playing football at the age of 6. In elementary school she joined the strongest club in her prefecture, Fortuna SC. In junior high school, she competed for Japan at the U-15 level. At the U-17 level, she contributed to Japan's second place at the U-17 Women's World Cup, held in Trinidad at Tobago in 2010. In the spring of 2012, at the age of 18, she joined INAC Kobe Leonessa. She was a member of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal at the 2012  FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Popularity and fan following. For years Ayu Nakada has been a hot topic in Japan, attracting much attention for her looks (cuteness, idol-like/model-like appearance). In 2014 she placed fifth in the survey "Which Japanese female soccer player would you want to date?". In 2016 she was selected to be the face of the poster promoting the Internet filtering rules for schools and other children's facilities, newly adopted in Hyogo Prefecture. Honours. Club. Tokiwaki Gakuen High School Soccer Club INAC Kobe Leonessa International. Japan U19