Maya Yoshida, a professional football player from Japan who was born on August 24, 1988, captains the Japan national team in addition to playing center defender for Bundesliga team Schalke 04 in the league.
He got his first professional contract in the 2007 season and was promoted to the first squad after five years at the Nagoya Grampus Youth Academy. Yoshida began playing defensive midfielder for Grampus’ youth squad but was quickly switched to a center defender. Shortly after, he began practicing with the club’s main team. Yoshida made his club debut on 3 May 2007 in a 2-1 loss to Oita Trinita, after spending months on the substitutes’ bench. He entered the game in the second half as a replacement.
Maya Yoshida Siblings: Meet Honami Yoshida
The two brothers of Yoshida are Mirei and Honami. He later acknowledged that Honami, his older brother, had a significant influence on his football career. His name “Maya” was originally intended for a girl when his mother was expecting him before he was born. Yet, the name was preserved even though the baby was a boy.