Upcoming Japanese footballer Yu Hirakawa is all set to join Bristol City (BS3) on loan for the upcoming 2024/25 season, check out more about him, his bio, age and height
The 23-year-old Japanese winger is the Robins’ second signing of the summer, following French striker Fally Mayulu.
Who is Bristol City’s Yu Hirakawa, bio, age, height, nationality, position, career stats and Instagtam
Bristol City have reportedly signed Yu Hirakawa on a season-long loan from Japanese side Machida Zelvia.
Yu Hirakawa bio
Yu Hirakawa is a Japanese footballer who was born on January 3, 2001 in Kashima, Saga, Japan. He is currently set to join EFL Championship club Bristol City for the upcoming 2024/25 season. During his childhood, Hirikawa played for Renofa Yamaguchi FC before moving to Saga Higashi High School.
After finishing high school, Hirakawa signed a dual registration with Machida Zelvia and Yamanashi Gakuin University. This allowed him to continue both his educational studies and football career.
Age and height
Yu Hirakawa is currently 23 years old and stands at a height of 1.71 m.
Yu Hirakawa professional career and stats
Hirakawa started out his senior career for Machida Zelvia in 2021, making a total of 71 appearances across all competitions. He managed to score 12 goals and secure 12 assists that season. Hirakawa played his debut match for the club against Albriex Niigata in the J2 League on December 5, 2021. He scored his first goal during a 3-1 victory over Fabiana Okayama in March 2022.
Following the end of the 2023 season, Machida earned a promotion into the J1 League, and Hirakawa made his top division debut during a 1-1 draw against Gamba Osaka. He then scored his first J1 League goal during a 1-0 victory over Kashima Antlers in March, 2024.
He later won the Konami Monthly Most Valuable Player award for February/March 2024. On the international stage, the 23-year-old represented the Samurai Blue at the U21 and U23 level. Yu Hirakawa earned his first international call-up for the Japan U21 side in June 2023. He featured for the team during two friendlies against England U21 and Holland U21.
April 2024 saw Hirakawa’s talent and impressive performances rewarded with an U23 call-up for the Asian Cup. He made six appearances in the tournament helping his side to victory, beating Uzbekistan U23 in the final. Hirakawa will reportedly the first team squad at a pre-season training camp in Portugal. However, he will then head to France as part of Japan’s football squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Yu Hirakawa has an Instagram account with the handle @hirayu_1314, where he has around 7,857 followers.