Hayao Kawabe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Kawabe with Grasshopper in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 September 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2007 | Hiroshima Koyo FC | ||
| 2008–2013 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2021 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 124 | (9) |
| 2015–2017 | → Júbilo Iwata (loan) | 91 | (9) |
| 2021 | Grasshoppers | 16 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Grasshoppers (loan) | 51 | (12) |
| 2023–2024 | Standard Liège | 36 | (7) |
| 2024– | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 43 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Japan U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021– | Japan | 8 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:22, 15 July 2025 (UTC) | |||
Hayao Kawabe (川辺 駿, Kawabe Hayao; born 8 September 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and the Japan national team.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Kawabe joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2008, alongside other products of the club's academy.[1] After his debut in 2012, he was offered a full pro contract by Sanfrecce.[2] Despite this achievement, he found too few minutes on the pitch[3] and decided to go to Júbilo Iwata on loan.[4] In January 2018, he came back to Sanfrecce after a three-years loan to Jubilo.[5]
Grasshopper Club Zürich and Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 8 July 2021, he signed a 3-year contract with Grasshoppers in the Swiss Super League.[6] Due to delays with his work permit,[7] he only made his debut on 7 August 2021 against Lausanne-Sport, being named in the starting lineup and playing 60 minutes.[8] He scored his first goal in a 3-1 away victory over FC Sion on 31 October 2021, scoring the opener in the 32nd minute[9]
On 5 January 2022, Kawabe joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-and-a-half-year deal, with the club intending on loaning him back to Grasshoppers in the near future.[10] He returned to Grasshoppers on 19 January 2022 and will remain until the end of the 2022–2023 season.[11] He finished the season at Grasshoppers with 34 appearances, playing every game since gaining eligibility. In his first season in Europe, he scored seven goals and supplied three assists. In the first game of the 2022–23 season, he scored both goals in a 2-1 home win against FC Lugano.[12] As a result, he was voted "SFL Player of the Round" by the viewers from among five nominees.[13]
On 25 May 2023, Grasshoppers announced that Kawabe would leave the club at the end of the season.[14]
Standard Liège
On 7 July 2023, he permanently joined Standard Liège[15] for a reported fee of £1.3 million.[16]
Return to Sanfrecce Hiroshima
On 2 August 2024, Kawabe returned to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.[17]
International career
He made his debut for Japan national football team on 25 March 2021 in a friendly against South Korea.[18] On 7 June 2021, he shot his first international goal, the final goal in a 4-1 victory over Tajikistan in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[19]
Career statistics
Club
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | League Cup | AFC | Total | |||||||
| 2013 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | J1 League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Júbilo Iwata (loan) | J2 League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2016 | J1 League | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2017 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 38 | 5 | |||
| 2018 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| 2020 | 34 | 3 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 35 | 3 | ||||
| 2021 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 21 | 3 | |||
| Japan total | 215 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 252 | 19 | ||
| 2021–22 | Grasshopper Club Zürich | Super League | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 4 | ||
| 2022-23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Grasshopper Club Zürich (loan) | Super League | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 9 | ||||
| Switzerland total | 67 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 16 | ||
| 2023–24 | Standard Liège | Belgian Pro League | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 7 | ||
| Belgium total | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 309 | 41 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 351 | 42 | ||
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 June 2021 | Panasonic Stadium Suita, Suita, Japan |  Tajikistan | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
