HOTARU YAMAGUCHI

Hotaru by name, hot by nature.

This professional Japanese soccer player attracted attention on the international stage while playing for Japan at the FIFA World Cup in Russia this year.

The mid-field defender with the striking good looks sports a trademark partial goatee but experiments with a variety of hair styles. It’s currently dark, swept up in a quiff with blond highlights, but he has occasionally completely bleached his hair and experimented with a spikey red-tipped do.

The 28-year-old, who is the captain of national team, Cerezo Osaka has an annual salary of $US301,000, a sponsorship deal with Nike, and has won the J League Best Award and the East Asia Most Valuable Player title.