Caroline Seger's starchild. Meet Japanese star Momoko Tanikawa

Japanese women’s football is on the rise. Fresh off their SheBelieves Cup triumph, Japan arrive as strong favourites for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup title. One player to keep a close eye on is young midfielder Momoko Tanikawa, one of the brightest emerging talents in the squad.

You’re not even 20 years old when a true icon of the women’s game tells the world you could one day become the best player on the planet. And not just anyone — Caroline Seger. A pioneer. A legend. When praise comes from her, it carries weight.

That is exactly what happened to Momoko Tanikawa during her loan spell at FC Rosengård. The young Japanese midfielder joined the Swedish side in 2024, sent out by her parent club Bayern Munich, and played a key role in their title-winning campaign.

Her story is a reminder of how transformative a loan move can be. In the right environment, with the right responsibility, a temporary switch can accelerate a player’s development — sometimes becoming the best decision a club can make for both itself and the player.

Still only 19 at the time, Tanikawa scored an astonishing 16 goals in 20 league appearances, playing a decisive role in Rosengård’s march to the title. It is little wonder that Caroline Seger — her midfield partner — saw such extraordinary potential in her.

For Seger, the club captain, it was the final season of a remarkable professional career. And thanks in no small part to the young Japanese midfielder beside her, it ended in the most fitting way possible — with another league title and a golden farewell.

Sweden had been a breakout chapter. Munich would be the real test.

After her successful spell in Sweden, Tanikawa returned to Bayern Munich facing a far sterner challenge. As outstanding as she had been at Rosengård, breaking into a squad competing in the Women's Champions League and considered among the favourites for the title was never going to be straightforward. With established stars such as Klara Bühl, Pernille Harder and Giulia Gwinn already in place, opportunities had to be earned.

As in life, stardom in football does not arrive overnight. Tanikawa, too, had to wait for her opportunity at Bayern. And alongside club competition, there was the added challenge of breaking into the national team. Like Bayern, Japan’s senior squad is stacked with established stars.

Tanikawa had already made her mark at youth level, representing Japan at both U17 and U19 level and impressing with her goalscoring record in each. A senior call-up soon followed. She was part of Japan’s squad at the Paris Olympics and featured in the SheBelieves Cup campaign that the Nadeshiko went on to win.

Given the trajectory of her career, it increasingly feels as though Caroline Seger’s prediction was no exaggeration. Tanikawa is now a regular starter, contributing goals and assists not only in the Bundesliga — where Bayern are once again on course for the title — but also in the Champions League. The German champions finished among the top four sides in the league phase and face Manchester United in the quarter-finals, underlining their status among Europe’s elite.

When Japan’s head coach sat down to select the squad for the Asian Cup, Tanikawa’s place was never really in doubt. Alongside WSL stars such as Yui Hasegawa and Aoba Fujino, she is part of a generation that has positioned Japan firmly among the tournament favourites.

If this is the path she is on at 20, Seger’s words may soon sound less like a bold prediction — and more like inevitability.