Ayase Ueda leaves Feyenoord for LOSC Lille

'It means a lot to me to leave Feyenoord after all the great moments I have experienced here with everyone,' said Ueda. 'I can only express my gratitude. For the belief and faith that the supporters and people at the club have always had in me. And for everything I was able to show last season. I am happy that I was able to finish that season as Feyenoord's top scorer and that last Sunday I got to experience one more time what it feels like to score at De Kuip. What my years at this club have given me is unforgettable. I hope our paths cross again one day and that I get to hear the song the supporters always sang for me one more time. Thank you for everything, it has been wonderful.'

Ueda joined Feyenoord in the summer of 2023 after impressing for Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro League the season before. He scored his first goal in red and white on the 3rd of September 2023, providing the ice-cold finish to a widely praised team goal away at FC Utrecht. As a substitute behind first-choice striker Santiago Giménez, Ueda soon started scoring goals, including against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

The following year, the stoic Japanese striker would also score on European football's biggest stage against Benfica and Bayern Munich. Those would be far from the last occasions on which the Japan international celebrated his goals in his characteristic way. With his hands folded in front of his face, Ueda would calmly and gratefully take in the emotion surrounding his goals. When Giménez left in January 2025, Ueda was able to truly establish himself as the next popular striker at De Kuip. In March of that year, he scored two convincing goals away at FC Twente, underlining the killer instinct for which he was praised.

Ueda particularly impressed with his heading ability and aerial prowess. His leap and impressive qualities as a heading specialist drew applause on countless occasions. That was also the case during the first half of the 2025-2026 season, when he scored 18 goals in his first 15 matches. Those included a late winner against FC Utrecht and no fewer than four goals against PEC Zwolle at De Kuip, as well as his hat-trick away at Heracles Almelo, during which he also scored the 5,000th goal in Feyenoord's history.

After the winter break, Ueda produced an excellent header to put Feyenoord ahead in the important head-to-head encounter with N.E.C., among other goals, and the Japanese striker eventually finished the season with 25 goals. In doing so, he became Feyenoord's first Eredivisie top scorer since Nicolai Jørgensen in 2017 and the seventh player in the club's history to achieve that feat. This season, following a summer in which he was a starter for Japan at the recent World Cup, Ueda has already recorded three goals and one assist in four appearances.

Ueda's memorable goals have earned him a permanent place in the history books of a club for which he made 112 official appearances, scoring 43 goals and providing seven assists.

Feyenoord wish Ayase every success with LOSC Lille in Ligue 1.