Kozue Ando

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

1Includes UEFA Champions League.

National team statistics

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 19 March 2003 Bangkok, Thailand ?–0 9–0 Friendly 2. ?–0 3. 22 April 2004 Tokyo, Japan 2–0 6–0 2004 Summer Olympics qualification 5. 30 July 2006 Adelaide, Australia 1–3 2–3 2006 AFC Women's Asian Cup 7. 4 December 2006 Al-Rayyan, Qatar 4–0 4–0 2006 Asian Games 8. 18 February 2008 Chongqing, China 1–0 3–2 2008 EAFF Women's Football Championship 9. 31 May 2008 Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam 3–0 11–0 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup 10. 2 June 2008 1–0 3–1 11. 22 May 2010 Chengdu, China 4–0 4–0 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup 12. 24 May 2010 1–0 2–1 13. 30 May 2010 1–0 2–0 18. 20 July 2013 Seoul, South Korea 1–0 2–0 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup 19. 4 March 2015 Parchal, Portugal 1–1 1–2 2015 Algarve Cup

Honors Club Urawa Reds Ladies L.League: 2004, 2009

FCR 2001 Duisburg DFB-Pokal: 2009–10

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

National team FIFA Women's World Cup: 2011

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