Risako Watanabe

Risako began her football journey at Omiya FC Nanari Sports Youth Club before joining the Urawa Reds Ladies youth system.

During her university career, a teammate described her as a striker who made people excited when she had the ball, while also calling her someone with a wide range of hobbies and a strong creative streak.

She became captain of Nihon University's women's football team during her final year.

Her pre-match routine during that final university season included stretching about an hour before the team warm-up.

In 2021, she suffered a meniscus injury while scoring her first goal of the season. During rehabilitation, simply being allowed to juggle the ball again after surgery made her emotional because it represented another step toward returning to football.

Playing for Urawa Reds Ladies had been a childhood dream: she supported the club as a fan before eventually joining its youth system and later the senior side.

She credited her family as the people who had supported her most consistently throughout her football journey.

Risako loves a good cup of coffee.

In her free time, she enjoys reading books.

She enjoys travelling and exploring new places, especially with her friends and in good company.