Yuka Hirano is familiar with the top three divisions in German women’s football. The Japanese midfielder wore the Köln shirt from 2019 to 2022, making 27 Bundesliga appearances and 25 in the second tier, in which she scored a total of five goals. She also played four times for the Billy Goats’ reserve team in the Regionalliga West. In 2022, she left Germany and returned to Japan to play for Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara in the WE League.
Hirano has signed a contract with VfB until 30 June 2026 and will wear the number 19 shirt. She becomes VfB Stuttgart’s first Japanese women’s player.
Sascha Glass, sporting director of girls’ and women’s football at VfB: “We’re delighted that Yuka, with her experience of the Bundesliga and WE League, has chosen to come to VfB. Yuka has a very good reading of the game and is a very intelligent and tactically variable player. She can play in various positions, has good technical ability and is very flexible. Yuka will help us on our way and be a great asset to the team.”
Yuka Hirano: “I’m really looking forward to playing for this top German club. The talks with the management were very good. I already know Sascha Glass from my time in Cologne. I want to play my part in VfB moving up the leagues as quickly as possible.”