Urawa Reds’ New Ace Scores Joyful Goal with Former “Oha Girl” Model Nozomi Maeda

The beautiful woman who assisted the new ace

Ryoma Watanabe (28) is a stoic man.

He typically has one day off a week. By 8 AM, he’s heading to the training ground in Urawa. His disciplined approach is reflected in his play, and last season, he recorded the highest distance covered in the league, with 442.5 km.

“He was a runner-up in the National High School Soccer Championship with Maebashi Ikuei. He dropped out of Waseda University and made headlines by signing with FC Ingolstadt in Germany. As a ‘reverse-import striker,’ he returned to Japan in 2018. In 2023, while with FC Tokyo, his goal against Cerezo Osaka won that year’s Best Goal award.” (Soccer writer)

In January last year, he transferred to Urawa Reds. “Joining this prestigious club was a significant step, and Watanabe must have had high expectations,” the writer explains. Watanabe became the team’s top Japanese scorer, with 6 goals and 5 assists (17th in the league), solidifying his position as the new ace.

However, our magazine did not overlook the beautiful woman who secretly assisted his achievements.

Watanabe resides in a luxurious high-rise apartment in Tokyo. Though it’s close to highway entrances, it is far from his home base in Urawa. He chose this area because “there are many stylish cafes where pets are welcome” (according to Watanabe’s acquaintance). While the ace focuses entirely on training and conditioning, his dog is often walked by Nozomi Maeda (31), a former “Oha Girl.”

The details of their relationship, along with a comment from Maeda’s agency, are featured in the February 7th issue of FRIDAY (released January 23), as well as in the paid edition FRIDAY GOLD.

For more details, click here↓

From the February 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”