Mina Tanaka has proved how a hunger for success can impact a player's growth in miraculous fashion. Roll back the years to her days at NTV Verdy Beleza and the-then youngster was seen as a bit player, competing for a place in the starting line-up and only managing to score a couple of times per season. That, however, changed in 2015 as Tanaka’s career suddenly kick-started, scoring 14 times in 23 appearances - just a goal shy of top-scorer Yuika Sugasawa. From there, she never looked back, dominating the goal-scoring chart by finishing as the league's top markswoman for the next four seasons as her side reigned supreme on the local scene. Adding to that, Tanaka was elected among the league's best 11 five times and earned the player of the year award twice. Needless to say, the in-form striker has become a regular figure in Japan squad’s over recent years. But what was behind her meteoric rise six years ago? "Yes, I remember a lot about that season [2015]," the 27-year-old told FIFA.com. "To be honest, I was not that greedy for scoring goals during those days. I thought that the top-scorer should come from the champions team so I should be forgiven [for not achieving that]. Now I feel embarrassed for that. And it was from that day I started thinking seriously about being a top-scorer." Where there's a will, there's a way. The next season the diminutive attacker scored four more goals to emerge as the league's top-scorer, a title which she retained in 2017 and 2018 by striking 15 times apiece. In 2019, her scoring tally reached an all-time high with a 20-goal haul.

Last season Tanaka left for INAC Kobe Leonessa and, although her playing time was limited by COVID-19, she still managed to score 13 times from only eight appearances. With her eye-catching goal-scoring form on every one's lips, however, she opted to downplay the fanfare surrounding her. "I would like to leave it to others," she said, when asked to judge her improved performances over these years. "However, what I have achieved, like winning the top-scorer awards and being named Player of the Year, is proof of the progress I have made. I am proud of what fans are thinking of me and I have worked hard to prove them right." "I think my strengths are my thirst for scoring goals," she went on. "There are different types of forwards but I am aiming to become an all-round forward who can be a lethal weapon and score against all opponents." Having won nearly everything on the domestic scene, Tanaka made a high-profile move to Bayer Leverkusen at the start of this year, joining the likes of national team-mates Mana Iwabuchi, Yuka Momiki and Yui Hasegawa among Japan's overseas-based line-up. "Playing overseas was a brand new challenge in my career," said Tanaka, who made an immediate impact with the Frauen-Bundesliga side scoring four times out of eight appearances. "It is a completely different environment and I can feel their emotion and passion for the game. I can see that all the players hate to lose and it is emotion that comes first before tactics and techniques. They are obsessed to win. I have become more adaptable now." Mina Tanaka fact file Date of birth: April 28, 1994 Honours: Nadeshiko League: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Empress's Cup: 2014, 2017, 2018 Nadeshiko League Best XI: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Nadeshiko League Player of the Year: 2018, 2019 Targeting Olympic gold A rising star at the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Tanaka has now racked up 17 goals in 41 international appearances, including being on target in a recent 5-1 friendly win against Mexico. However a goal in a major international competition is still missing from her CV, and she was a surprising omission from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup™ squad. "That [failure to make to the Women's World Cup squad] was one of the turning points of my career," she said. That disappointment has only served to further whet her thirst for greater success. And with the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 on home soil just around the corner, she voiced her intent of proving herself on the global scene. "Our top priority is to win the gold medal," she said. "I must work hard and show my best form. As a striker, I need to maintain my hunger for goals and try to win against the opponents. After the tournament, I hope I can say to myself 'Yes, you have done your best'. I want to achieve the best results both with my team and as a striker at Tokyo 2020."