Hayao Kawabe (川辺駿, Kawabe Hayao, born 8 September 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swiss Super League club Grasshopper Club Zürich, on loan from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the Japan national team.
![]() Kawabe with Grasshopper in 2021 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Date of birth | (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, Japan | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
Youth career | |||
2008–2013 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2021 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 125 | (9) |
2015–2017 | → Júbilo Iwata (loan) | 91 | (9) |
2021 | Grasshoppers | 16 | (4) |
2022– | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
2022- | → Grasshoppers (loan) | 32 | (9) |
National team‡ | |||
2014 | Japan U17 | 4 | (0) |
2021– | Japan | 4 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 November 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:22, 5 January 2022 (UTC) |
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]
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]
He made his debut for Japan national football team on 25 March 2021 in a friendly against South Korea.[14] 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.[15]
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
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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 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 7 | ||
2022-23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 2 | ||||
Switzerland total | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | ||
Career total | 250 | 27 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 289 | 28 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1. | 7 June 2021 | Panasonic Stadium Suita, Suita, Japan | ![]() | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
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Grasshopper Club Zürich – current squad | |
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