Shinji Kagawa
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Kagawa with Japan at the 2018 World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Shinji Kagawa | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 March 1989 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kobe, Japan | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Cerezo Osaka | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | Marino FC | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Kobe NK FC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | FC Miyagi Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Cerezo Osaka | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Cerezo Osaka | 125 | (55) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Borussia Dortmund | 49 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Manchester United | 38 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2019 | Borussia Dortmund | 99 | (20) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Borussia Dortmund II | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → Beşiktaş (loan) | 14 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Real Zaragoza | 33 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | PAOK | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sint-Truiden | 18 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Cerezo Osaka | 35 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Japan U19 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Japan U20 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Japan U23 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2019 | Japan | 97 | (31) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 August 2019 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Shinji Kagawa (Japanese: 香川 真司, Kagawa Shinji [kaꜜɡawa ɕiꜜndʑi]; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer and football manager who plays as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time.
Kagawa became the first midfielder in J.League history to claim the top scorer title, accomplishing this while playing as a shadow striker. In the 2009 season, he formed a devastating partnership with Takashi Inui, which played a key role in his emergence as the J2 League's top scorer. He led the J2 League in both goals and assists.
Kagawa began his professional career in his homeland with Cerezo Osaka before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2010. After two years with Dortmund, Kagawa signed for Manchester United on a four-year contract. Two years later, he returned to Dortmund. Kagawa holds the records for most appearances and goals by a Japanese player in UEFA club competitions. He later also played for Beşiktaş in Turkey, Real Zaragoza in Spain, PAOK in Greece, and Sint-Truiden in Belgium before returning to Japan, as he rejoined his boyhood club, Cerezo Osaka at the end of January 2023.
Since making his senior international debut in May 2008, he has won over 90 caps and scored over 30 goals. On 29 November 2012, Kagawa was named Asian Football Confederation International Player of the Year.
From 2023 onward, Kagawa has primarily been deployed as a central midfielder. Under head coach Arthur Papas, he made a notable impact in the opening match of the 2025 J.League season—the Osaka Derby—by scoring one goal and providing one assist in a 5–2 victory, further highlighting his influence in a deeper midfield role.