Momoko Tanikawa

Momoko Tanikawa is a Japanese midfielder, born on 7 May 2005. As of October 2026 she plays for Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga and for the Japan national team. She came through the JFA Academy Fukushima, the Japan Football Association's youth programme, before moving to Europe.

France Football and L'Équipe list Tanikawa as one of the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Féminin. The Ballon d'Or website described her as a player who "amazed the world at the age of just 21".

Bayern signed Tanikawa in January 2024 and loaned her straight to FC Rosengård in Sweden. That season Rosengård won the Damallsvenskan, and she finished as the league's top scorer with 16 goals and was named its best midfielder and breakthrough of the year. Back at Bayern she has won two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal trophies and two DFB-Supercups. She can play as a central, attacking or defensive midfielder and strikes the ball with both feet.

At the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup she scored in every game and was the tournament's top scorer. With the senior team she won the 2022 Asian Games, scoring in the 4–1 final against North Korea, as well as the 2025 SheBelieves Cup and the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · France Football / L'Équipe (via beIN Sports) · Ballon d'Or