Kozue Ando

Kozue Ando (安藤 梢) is a Japanese football player. Ando currently plays club football for the Urawa Reds Diamonds. She previously played for the Japan national team before retiring in 2015.

Club career
Ando was born in Utsunomiya on 9 July 1982. In 2002, when she was a University of Tsukuba student, she left university club and joined Saitama Reinas FC (later Urawa Reds). In 2002 season, she scored 10 goals and was selected at the Young Player Awards. She became top scorer and she was selected MVP awards in 2004 and 2009. She also featured in the Best Eleven 6 times. From 2010, she played for German Bundesliga clubs; Duisburg, Frankfurt and Essen. At Frankfurt, she won UEFA Women's Champions League in 2014–15 season. In June 2017, she returned to Japan and joined Urawa Reds.

National team career
In June 1999, when Ando was 16 years old, she was selected for the Japan national team for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. At this competition, on 26 June, she debuted against Norway. She played in the World Cup four times and in the Summer Olympics three times. She was a member of the team that defeated the United States in a penalty shootout in the final to win the 2011 World Cup; Ando started the final. She was also part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and second place at the 2015 World Cup. At the 2015 World Cup, in the first match against Switzerland, she got a penalty kick, but she fractured her left ankle at that moment. This match was her last as part of the Japan national team. She played 126 games and scored 19 goals for Japan.

Education
Ando graduated from Utsunomiya Women's High School. She earned a PhD in Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences from University of Tsukuba in May 2018.

Club statistics
1 Includes UEFA Champions League.

Club

 * Urawa Reds Ladies
 * L.League: Winner 2004, 2009


 * FCR 2001 Duisburg
 * DFB-Pokal: Winner 2009–10


 * Frankfurt
 * DFB-Pokal: Winner 2013–14
 * UEFA Women's Champions League: Winner 2014–15

National team

 * FIFA Women's World Cup: Winner 2011

Individual

 * L.League
 * MVP: 2004, 2009
 * Top Scorers: 2004, 2009
 * Best Eleven (6): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
 * Best Young Player: 2002