Ayase Ueda is a Japanese striker. He plays for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie and the Japan national team. He got his first call-up to the senior team in May 2019 for the Copa América in Brazil. He made his debut on June 17, 2019, starting in a 4-0 loss to Chile. He made two more appearances as a substitute in the tournament. But Japan were knocked out in the group stage and Ueda missed some big chances.
Despite that, he was named in the squad for the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship later that year. He played in all three games and played his first full 90 minutes in a senior international. Japan finished as runners-up after losing 1-0 to South Korea in the final.
In November 2022, Ueda was called up for the World Cup in Qatar. He started in Japan’s second group game against Costa Rica, but struggled to make an impact and was subbed at half-time. Japan lost 1-0 and that was Ueda’s only appearance at the tournament. He was unused for the rest of the games as Japan were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Croatia.
On June 15, 2023, he scored his first senior international goal in a 6-0 win over El Salvador. On November 16, 2023, he scored his first hat trick for Japan in a 5-0 World Cup qualifier win over Myanmar. In January 2024, he was part of Japan’s Asian Cup squad and scored four goals in the tournament. On May 27, 2026, Ueda was named in Japan’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Ueda started playing football at age six after watching his father, an amateur striker, score a hat-trick in a match. He then wanted to score even more goals than his dad. That single match lit a fire that would eventually take him to the highest levels of international football.
Despite scoring an incredible 33 goals in 18 high school games, Ueda was overlooked by professional clubs and rejected by the Kashima Antlers youth academy as a teenager. He had to prove himself at Hosei University before he was finally given a chance. Rejection became motivation.
Ueda was selected for the Japan national team for the 2019 Copa América in May 2019 – before he had even finished university or signed a professional contract. He made his senior debut for Japan while still a student at Hosei University. A student on the biggest stage.
Ueda wears the number 18 for the Japanese national team as a tribute to his father’s admiration for Jürgen Klinsmann, the former Germany international who famously wore that number. A small nod to his father’s footballing hero, carried on Ueda’s back every time he steps onto the pitch.
By age 3 or 4, Ueda was already obsessed with watching football. He and his father made it a daily routine to watch major European leagues, the World Cup, and the Euros. He idolised strikers like Eto’o, Ronaldo, Shevchenko, and Inzaghi, studying their movements and learning how each scored differently. A football education from the living room couch.
A. Ayase Ueda plays for Feyenoord.
A. Ueda represents Japan.
A. Ueda made his senior debut on June 17, 2019, against Chile.
A. Ueda scored his first senior international goal on June 15, 2023.
A. Ueda was named in the squad on May 27, 2026.
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