| Yu Hirakawa 平河 悠 | |
| Fullname: | Yu Hirakawa |
| Birth Date: | 3 January 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Kashima, Saga, Japan |
| Height: | 1.72 m |
| Currentclub: | Bristol City (On loan from Machida Zelvia) |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Youthclubs1: | Meirin JSC |
| Youthyears2: | –2015 |
| Youthclubs2: | FC Revona |
| Youthyears3: | 2016–2018 |
| Youthclubs3: | Saga Higashi High School |
| Collegeyears1: | 2019–2022 |
| College1: | Yamanashi Gakuin University |
| Years1: | 2021– |
| Caps1: | 61 |
| Goals1: | 9 |
| Years2: | 2024– |
| Clubs2: | → Bristol City (loan) |
| Caps2: | 10 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023 |
| Nationalteam1: | Japan U22 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam2: | Japan U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 00:03, 5 November 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 30 July 2024 (UTC) |
is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Bristol City, on loan from J1 League side Machida Zelvia.
Hirakawa was born in Kashima. He played youth football for Saga Higashi High School and Yamanashi Gakuin University.[1]
In September 2021, it was announced that Hirakawa would join J2 League club Machida Zelvia as a designated special player.[2] He made his debut for Machida on the 5 December 2021 against Albirex Niigata.[3] He scored his first goal for the club on the 13 March 2022, scoring in the 20th minute against Fagiano Okayama.[4] He was part of the Machida team that won the 2023 J2 League.
In April 2024, Hirakawa won his first Monthly MVP award for his performances at the start of the 2024 J1 League season.[5]
On 9 July 2024, Hirakawa joined EFL Championship club Bristol City on a season-long loan.[6] [7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Machida Zelvia | 2021 | J2 League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | J2 League | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 2 | ||||
| 2023 | J2 League | 35 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 37 | 8 | ||||
| 2024 | J1 League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | |||
| Total | 59 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 11 | |||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2024–25 | EFL Championship | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 69 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 13 | |||
Machida Zelvia
Japan U23
Individual