Hammer and Gongs

The magazine’s first Japanese cover interview, conducted with the help of translator Mari, catches West Ham’s number nine fresh from winning the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with Japan and finishing as its six-goal top scorer. Ueki describes the hero’s welcome from teammates who followed the tournament closely from thousands of miles away, and admits the Golden Boot is still in the JFA office. She talks about arriving in England with no English and a chatterbox’s frustration, learning by talking to everyone from her second year, and being called Riko-san by younger teammates now learning Japanese. Manga, stored in a rented container, is her great love. London, she says, is her second home.