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Maya Yoshida's early life and childhood

Maya Yoshida's early life, childhood and career in Japan

Maya became a pro thanks to a series of coincidences!

Maya Yoshida(吉田麻也 in kanji) was born on August 24, 1988, in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, as the youngest of three siblings. He was given the name "Maya" by his father's older sister and her husband, who hoped he would "become someone who can succeed anywhere in the world." Since both his parents worked, he was often left in the care of his aunts and uncles in the neighborhood. Believing that "it's good to get calcium from an early age," they frequently fed him fish paste and ground dried sardines. Although neither of his parents is particularly tall, the fact that he grew to be 6 feet 2.4 inches tall may be due to this diet.

Maya started playing soccer in earnest when he was in first grade. Since he couldn't join his own elementary school's team until third grade, he joined Nanryo FC at the neighboring elementary school. There was a steep hill between his school and the neighboring school, but he ran the whole way, which really strengthened his legs and lower body. As his passion for soccer grew, Maya began participating in his own elementary school's team practices in addition to his regular team's three weekday practices once he entered third grade.

As Maya practiced day after day, he soon began playing in matches. During the games he played in, while his mother watched his performance with bated breath, his father stood silently filming the action. His father had played soccer in middle and high school, but he held the philosophy that "Parents should leave coaching their children to the coaches. Parents should never interfere." For that reason, he never personally coached or scolded his children to spur them on. Still, since those videos helped him grow, his father must be pleased.

Speaking about those days, he said, "When I'd come home, we'd often watch the videos my father had recorded together. My father never said anything, but my older brother would often offer advice. It became a habit, and I started watching footage of every game I played in. It's something that's taken for granted now, but that's where it all began." One of his strengths today is his ability to view his own play and the team as a whole objectively, and that ability was likely built up over time, starting from his childhood.

By the time Maya reached fifth or sixth grade, he had become a well-known figure in his local community as a tall striker. Thanks in part to the countless shooting and heading drills he practiced against his older brother—who was a goalkeeper—he performed quite well in matches throughout Nagasaki City. Although he was selected for the Nagasaki City All-Star team, he felt that his absence would put his own team in a difficult position, so he rarely participated in the All-Star team's practices. As a result, he had virtually no experience with the All-Star team's away games or major tournaments such as the All-Japan Junior Soccer Tournament.

Back then, he played soccer with all his might, but he was only moderately fond of the sport itself. He had a strong desire to enjoy other things as well, and besides soccer, there were plenty of other activities he wanted to try, such as basketball, roller skating, guitar, and piano. He had never seriously considered becoming a professional soccer player.

His mother spoke about those days: "There were quite a few times when I'd watch him and think, 'I wish he'd try a little harder at soccer…' He put in a decent amount of effort, but he never really pushed himself to the limit. I suppose that's because, back then, he had so many other things he wanted to do besides soccer. So my husband and I just thought he should do whatever he enjoyed. We never in our wildest dreams imagined he'd become a professional soccer player."

It was Maya's older brother who set in motion the events that would drastically change Maya's life. When Maya was in sixth grade, his older brother happened to come across information about tryouts for the Nagoya Grampus U-15 team, a youth division of the J.League (Japan's professional soccer league). His older brother remembered that they had relatives in Nagoya, so he printed out the information and sent it to Maya.

Around that time, Maya's mother was planning to visit Nagoya to see her younger sister, who had just given birth. When she looked at the letter she'd received, she realized that, by coincidence, the day she was going to visit her sister coincided exactly with the Nagoya Grampus U-15 tryouts. His mother said to Maya, "I'm going to Nagoya to see my sister, so why don't you go take the tryouts while you're there?" Driven by his curiosity about the tryouts and the excitement of a trip, he decided to go.

Speaking about that time, Maya said, "I went to Nagoya just to sightsee. It was only my second time there, so I wanted to explore the city, and I figured there was no way I'd pass anyway. I thought that at tryouts for J.League youth teams, famous players from all over the country would show up, and only one or two would make the cut."

However, he passed the first trial match by playing in a midfield position. Although he played the final trial match at the unfamiliar position of left back, he still passed. Since he passed, he had to start thinking about moving to Nagoya the following year.

Maya's parents felt it would be impossible for their son, a first-year middle school student, to live alone in a faraway place. They considered having him stay with relatives, but decided that would be difficult because the relatives had a newborn baby. As a result, he ended up living with his older brother, who was already living on his own. Sure enough, he was homesick at first and sometimes cried himself to sleep alone. However, it was here that he developed mental resilience and reached a turning point. That turning point came when he and his mother were shopping together to buy a full set of furniture and appliances necessary for daily life.

Speaking about that time, Maya said, "As my mother and I went out to buy all sorts of things, I realized that a considerable amount of money was being spent on me, including rent. Even as a child, that amount really struck me, and I knew I couldn't just give up on soccer halfway through and go home. I knew I absolutely had to become a pro."

After joining the Nagoya Grampus U-15 team, his days followed a routine of school, practice, and living with his older brother. Ever since elementary school, he had made the most of his large frame, scoring goals as a forward and enjoying soccer. However, starting in middle school, he gradually began playing in more defensive positions. Maya's coaches at the time recognized his ability to draw people in and his talent for leading a group. For that reason, they had him play in a defensive position where he could become a central figure on the team. This, in turn, contributed to Maya's own growth. Before long, a circle of peers formed around him. As he grew stronger, he earned a promotion to the Grampus U18 team and began climbing the ladder toward becoming a professional soccer player.

When Maya entered high school, his three years of living with his older brother came to an end. Starting in his freshman year, he moved into the Nagoya Grampus dormitory. The dorm was home to young players from the first team as well, and those days proved to be an exciting time for him. On the field, the coach at the time positioned him as the anchor in a single-holding-midfielder formation, with the goal of developing him into a player capable of competing on the world stage. He played as the linchpin of the team's offense and defense.

Around the time Maya began participating in first-team practices, Mr. Akita was the undisputed starting center back for Nagoya Grampus. He reflected on those days. "There was a sense throughout the club that we wanted to develop Maya. I suppose the plan was to have him play center back in the future, but in modern soccer, you really need to be skilled with the ball at your feet to succeed. That's probably why they had him play as a defensive midfielder in the youth team to hone his passing skills. When he joined the first-team practices, I often paired him up with me—his senior center back."

In this way, Maya gradually became the focus of everyone's expectations. As captain of the U-18 team, he utilized his exceptional leadership skills and his uniquely cheerful personality to bring the other players together. Then, during his senior year of high school, at the Takamado Cup U-18 Soccer Tournament, the Nagoya Grampus U-18 team he led advanced all the way to the final. Although they ultimately finished as runners-up, it marked the first time he had come close to the top at the national level. Recognized for that experience and his talent, he was then promoted to the first team.

After being promoted to the first team, his potential was recognized from his very first year, and he was gradually given playing time in both four-back and three-back formations. He gained valuable experience at the top level, and by his second year, he had secured a starting spot as a center back. As the team made strides and his playing time increased, the name "Maya Yoshida of Nagoya Grampus" gradually became widely recognized. Then, that summer, Maya was selected for the Japanese national team for the Beijing Olympics.

At the Beijing Olympics, he spent the first two matches on the bench. The team lost both of those games, sealing their elimination from the group stage. He didn't even get the chance to put his skills to use for the team. However, for the third match against the Netherlands, he was finally named to the starting lineup. Although the match was essentially a meaningless one since elimination had already been decided, he took the field determined to play aggressively.

Maya faced off against strikers Roy Makaay and Gerald Sibon, who were both playing for the Dutch national team at the time. It was there that he first experienced world-class standards of height and strength. Even so, he never let himself be outplayed and successfully contained Roy Makaay until the very end. The following year, in 2009, he made his debut in the AFC Champions League with Nagoya Grampus and played a major role in helping the team reach the semifinals.

Thanks to his strong performances in these two tournaments, he received an official offer from VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands. This opportunity arose because the club's president had watched Maya's performance in the match against the Netherlands at the Beijing Olympics, where he had effectively neutralized Makaay. He transferred to VVV-Venlo to pursue his dream. Later, in 2012, he moved to Southampton FC in the Premier League, where he spent eight seasons. In 2020, he transferred to UC Sampdoria in Serie A, and in 2022, he moved to Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. Then, in 2023, he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS, where he continues to play as of 2026.

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