Maya Yoshida

Land Rover (Range Rover Autobiography)


The Japanese hard-man is big on cars, here he is picking up another new pair of wheels, this time the almighty Range Rover Autobiography.

Born in Nagasaki, Japan, the prospective footballer started out as a midfield player for his Nagoya Grampus' youth setup but by the time he had graduated to the first-team he was already converted to a central defender, between 2007-2009 he racked up 101 appearances for the J1 League side scoring 11 goals. In December 2009 the Japanese defender packed his bags and moved to Europe to play for Dutch Eredivisie club VVV-Venlo following in the footsteps of Japanese sensation Keisuke Honda. During Venlo's 2011/12 Eredivisie campaign the centre-back made 32 league appearances scoring a total of 5 goals, his bicycle-kick goal against PSV Eindhoven on 11 September 2011 was awarded Eredivisie Goal of the Season. The man from Japan would be on the move again, this time his destination was England, he agreed to join Southampton on a three-year contract ahead of the 2012/13 Premier League season. It was a harsh introduction for the Asian to English football as The Saints were thrashed 6-1 by Arsenal on his debut. The defender would eventually adjust to the climate and demands of English football and go on to represent Southampton for the next 7 seasons, appearing 189 times with 9 goals and 4 assists. On the international stage he made his debut for Japan on 6 January 2010 and has been a staple ever since, he has represented his country 95 times which includes appearances in the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.