Kōji Nakata facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 July 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Otsu, Shiga, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender, midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Teikyo High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Kashima Antlers | 144 | (27) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Olympique Marseille | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Basel | 62 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Kashima Antlers | 122 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 337 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Japan U20 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Japan U23 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | Japan | 57 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Kōji Nakata (中田 浩二, Nakata Kōji, born 9 July 1979) is a Japanese former professional footballer. He played as a defender and midfielder. He also played for the Japan national team. He was part of the team in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Kōji Nakata was a very flexible player. He was known as one of Japan's best defensive midfielders. He could play in many different positions on the field.
Kashima Antlers: Early Success
Kōji Nakata was born in Otsu on July 9, 1979. After finishing high school, he joined Kashima Antlers in 1998. He played alongside other future Japan national team players. In his first season, he played as a defensive midfielder. His team, Kashima Antlers, won the championship that year.
From 2000, Nakata became a regular player for the team. In 2000, Kashima Antlers had an amazing year. They won all three major titles in Japan: the J1 League, the J.League Cup, and the Emperor's Cup. In 2001, they won the J1 League again. Nakata was even chosen as one of the "Best Eleven" players. The team also won the J.League Cup in 2002.
Moving to Europe: Olympique Marseille
In 2005, Nakata moved from Japan to France. He joined Olympique de Marseille, a big French club. The coach who signed him was Philippe Troussier, who used to coach the Japan national team. However, Troussier was fired just a few months later. This made Nakata's time in France difficult. He decided to look for a new team.
Playing in Switzerland: FC Basel
In early 2006, Nakata moved to Switzerland. He signed with FC Basel, one of the top teams there. He was the first Japanese player to join a Swiss top-tier club. He quickly made his debut and even scored his first goal for Basel on February 26.
In the 2005–06 season, Basel almost won the league. They were leading until the very last day. But a late goal from another team meant Basel lost the title by a tiny difference in goals.
The next season, 2006–07, Basel played in the UEFA Cup. They made it to the group stage but were eliminated. Nakata played in many of these European matches. In the Swiss league, Basel finished second. But they won the Swiss Cup that year! Nakata played in five of the six cup games, helping his team win.
In the 2007–08 season, Basel again played in the UEFA Cup. They did well, reaching the knockout stage. At the end of this season, Nakata and FC Basel won the "Double." This means they won both the League Championship and the Swiss Cup. Nakata played in the cup final, which Basel won 4–1.
After his time in Switzerland, Nakata had played 112 games for Basel. He scored six goals for the club.
Back to Kashima Antlers
In July 2008, Kōji Nakata returned to his old club, Kashima Antlers. He continued to play in many defensive roles, like defensive midfielder and center-back. His return brought more success to the team. Kashima Antlers won the J1 League in 2008 and 2009. They also won the Emperor's Cup in 2010 and the J.League Cup in 2011 and 2012. Nakata retired from playing football at the end of the 2014 season.
Playing for Japan
Kōji Nakata also had a great career playing for his country, Japan. Even though he played as a defensive midfielder for his clubs, he often played as a left-back for the national team.
Youth and Olympic Teams
In April 1999, Nakata played for the Japan U20 team in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played in all seven matches, and Japan finished in second place!
In February 2000, Nakata made his first appearance for the senior Japan national team. Later that year, he was chosen for the Japan U23 team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was a regular player, but he got hurt in a match against Brazil and couldn't play in the rest of the tournament.
World Cups and Asian Cup
In 2001 and 2002, Nakata played in all matches for Japan. This included the 2001 Confederations Cup, where Japan finished second. He also played in the 2002 World Cup, playing all four matches for the full time.
After the 2002 World Cup, Nakata continued to play for Japan. He was part of the team for the 2004 Asian Cup. In this tournament, he played four matches and scored two important goals in the semi-final and final. Japan won the championship! He played a total of 57 games for Japan and scored 2 goals before he stopped playing for the national team in 2007.
Personal Life
Kōji Nakata is married to actress Nao Nagasawa. They got married on February 22, 2014. They have three children together.
Honours
Kashima Antlers
- A3 Champions Cup: 2003
- J1 League: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2009
- Emperor's Cup: 2000, 2010
- J.League Cup: 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012
- Suruga Bank Championship: 2012, 2013
Marseille
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
FC Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2007–08
- Swiss Cup: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Uhren Cup: 2006
Japan
- AFC Asian Cup: 2004
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2001
Individual
- J. League Best Eleven: 2001
- J. League Cup MVP: 2000
See also
In Spanish: Kōji Nakata para niños
