Shunsuke Nakamura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shunsuke Nakamura

Nakamura with Japan in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1978-06-24) 24 June 1978 (age 47)
Place of birth	Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Yokohama FC (first team coach)
Youth career
1991–1993	Yokohama F. Marinos
1994–1996	Toko Gakuen High School [ja]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2002	Yokohama F. Marinos	148	(33)
2002–2005	Reggina	81	(11)
2005–2009	Celtic	128	(29)
2009–2010	Espanyol	13	(0)
2010–2017	Yokohama F. Marinos	190	(35)
2017–2019	Júbilo Iwata	48	(5)
2019–2022	Yokohama FC	38	(1)
Total		646	(115)
International career
1997	Japan U-20	5	(1)
2000	Japan U-23	4	(0)
2000–2010	Japan	98	(24)
Medal record Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Winner 2000 Lebanon Winner 2004 China
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Shunsuke Nakamura (Japanese: 中村 俊輔, Hepburn: Nakamura Shunsuke, born 24 June 1978) is a famous Japanese former football player. He is now a coach for Yokohama FC. He's the only player to win the J.League Most Valuable Player award twice (in 2000 and 2013). Many people think he's one of the best free-kick takers ever and one of Japan's greatest football players. A coach named Steve Perryman once joked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans with his left foot" because of his amazing skill.

Nakamura started his professional career in 1997 with Yokohama F. Marinos, a team in Japan's top league, the J1 League. He played over 300 games for them during two different periods. In between, Nakamura played in Europe for teams like Espanyol in Spain, Celtic in Scotland, and Reggina in Italy.

While playing for Celtic, he became one of the best Asian players in Europe. He was even nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or award, which is given to the world's best player. In 2007, he was named the best player in Scotland by both players and writers. He also became the first Japanese player to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League, a huge European club competition. With Celtic, he won the Scottish Premier League three times (2006, 2007, 2008), the Scottish League Cup twice (2006, 2009), and the Scottish Cup once (2007).

Nakamura played 98 games for the Japan national football team and scored 24 goals. He played in the FIFA World Cup in 2006 and 2010. He also helped Japan win the AFC Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004, where he was named the Most Valuable Player in 2004. He also played for Japan's youth teams in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Nakamura was born and grew up in Yokohama, Japan. He started playing football at age 5 with a local club called Misono FC. Even at a young age, people noticed his amazing ability to create plays for his team. When he was in fifth grade, he was chosen for Yokohama's city all-star team. This team went on a tour to the Soviet Union, even though it was usually only for older kids.

In 1991, when he was 12, Nakamura joined the youth team of Nissan Motors F.C., which later became Yokohama F. Marinos. He worked hard on his free-kick skills, practicing for an hour every day. His coaches saw that he had great ball control and technique. However, he was smaller than his teammates and struggled to fit in with the youth team, so he wasn't chosen for the main youth squad.

Instead of staying with Nissan's youth team, Nakamura decided to go to Tōkō Gakuen High School in Kawasaki. This school was a long two-and-a-half-hour trip each way! Nakamura led his high school team to Japan's national high school football tournament in 1995 and to the final game in 1996. His great performances there led to him being called up to the Japan under-20 team. He played for them in the 1996 AFC Youth Championship and the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

By the time he finished high school in 1997, many top Japanese clubs wanted to sign Nakamura. He had offers from teams like Júbilo Iwata and Gamba Osaka.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Yokohama Marinos

In 1997, Nakamura chose to sign with Yokohama F. Marinos, the club whose youth team he had left a few years before. He played his first game for Marinos on March 8 in a J.League Cup match. His first league game was on April 16. In his first season, Nakamura played 31 games and scored 5 goals.

Nakamura had a fantastic year in 1998, playing 37 games and scoring 10 goals. His ability to create scoring chances made him one of Japan's best young players. In 2000, he had his best season in Yokohama, scoring 5 goals and making 11 assists in the league. He helped Marinos win the first stage of the championship and was named J.League Most Valuable Player. The next year, he played 31 games and scored 5 goals, helping Marinos win the 2001 J.League Cup.

Because of his success, many European clubs, including Real Madrid and several Italian teams, became interested in Nakamura. He felt he needed to play in Europe to improve his skills, especially after not being chosen for Japan's 2002 World Cup team. Nakamura left Marinos in the middle of the 2002 season to join Reggina, a team that had just been promoted to Italy's top league, Serie A. Before he left, Nakamura was still playing very well, scoring 4 goals in 8 games.

Time in Italy with Reggina

Reggina's scouts noticed Nakamura after he played a great international match against Honduras in 2002, where he scored two goals. Reggina had just moved up to Serie A and wanted to sign a big-name player. It's said that the club's chairman called Marinos about Nakamura even while his team was still celebrating their promotion!

People had very high hopes for Nakamura. He was even given the famous number 10 jersey. The club sold 25,000 Nakamura jerseys in his first five months there. Nakamura started strong, scoring in three games in a row. He finished his first season with 32 games played and 7 goals, helping Reggina avoid being sent back down to a lower league.

Nakamura had some injuries in 2003 and played only 18 games in the 2003–04 season. Reggina also changed managers four times in his first two years. These changes meant Nakamura often started games from the bench. In the 2004–05 season, he only scored two goals, though they were important wins. Reggina struggled to avoid relegation every season he was there. Nakamura worried he wasn't improving as much as he could, so he decided to move on.

Celtic Success in Scotland

In the summer of 2005, Nakamura was interested in playing in Spain, but he eventually chose to join Celtic, a top team in Scotland. Celtic's new manager, Gordon Strachan, wanted Nakamura after seeing him play for Japan in the 2005 Confederations Cup. Nakamura scored a goal against Brazil in that tournament, helping Japan get a 2–2 draw. Celtic signed Nakamura on July 29, 2005. Strachan said Nakamura "has got imagination and he sees passes other people can't see."

2005–06 Season: A Strong Start

Nakamura warming up ahead of Celtic's clash with Dundee United on 6 August 2005

Nakamura joined Celtic when the team was having a tough time. They had been knocked out of the Champions League early and had a slow start to their league season. Strachan put Nakamura straight into the team for the second league game on August 6, even though he wasn't fully fit. Nakamura had an excellent first game and was named Man of the Match. The fans gave him a standing ovation when he left the field. Many people at Celtic said Nakamura's arrival helped turn the team's season around.

In his first season, Nakamura played 38 games, scored 6 goals, and made 10 assists. His creativity and calm play were praised by teammates and fans. Strachan said Nakamura's "touch and vision were outstanding." In his first year with Celtic, Nakamura won his first major club titles: the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish League Cup.

2006–07 Season: Champions League Hero

Nakamura (left) battling for the ball with Karl Dodd of Falkirk during a match in December 2006

In his second season, Nakamura played his first UEFA Champions League game on September 13 against Manchester United. He scored a fantastic free kick to tie the game at 2–2, becoming the first Japanese player to score in the Champions League. On October 14, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals) for Celtic in a league game against Dundee United.

On November 21, Nakamura scored perhaps the most important goal of his career. It was a 30-yard free kick against Manchester United at Celtic Park. This goal helped Celtic qualify for the Champions League knockout stage for the first time ever! A famous football expert, Matt Le Tissier, later said Nakamura's free kick was one of the best five he had ever seen. On December 26, Nakamura scored another amazing goal against Dundee United, which won him the SPL Goal of the Season award.

On April 22, Celtic won their 41st league championship, their second in a row. The title was won dramatically with an injury-time free kick from Nakamura in a 2–1 victory. Later that day, Nakamura was named the Scottish Player of the Year by his fellow players. He also won the SFWA Footballer of the Year award and Celtic's own Player of the Year awards.

2007–08 Season: More Trophies

Nakamura played less at the start of the 2007–08 season because of a knee injury. He tried to play through it, but kept making it worse. He eventually sat out for almost three months. During this time, Celtic dropped from first to second place in the league. His teammate Artur Boruc said Nakamura's absence was the "big difference" in Celtic's performance. Nakamura returned to play on January 12 and scored a goal in a Scottish Cup match.

On April 16, in a very important game against rivals Rangers, Nakamura scored his first goal against them. It was a fantastic 30-yard shot. Celtic won the game 2–1. Celtic went on to win the league title on the very last day of the season, making it their third title in a row.

2008–09 Season: Final Celtic Year

On September 13, 2008, Nakamura played his 100th Scottish Premier League game. On February 28, 2009, he scored another hat-trick against St Mirren in a huge 7–0 win.

Short Time with Espanyol

Nakamura during his presentation at Espanyol in August 2009

Many people thought Nakamura would return to his first club, Yokohama F. Marinos, after his contract with Celtic ended in June 2009. However, they couldn't agree on terms. Instead, on June 22, Nakamura signed a two-year contract with Espanyol in Spain.

Nakamura played his first game for Espanyol in the first league match of the 2009–10 season. But as the season went on, he didn't play as much, often sitting on the bench or coming on as a substitute. By December, Espanyol staff were worried about how slowly Nakamura was getting used to Spain and Spanish football. The manager even suggested that cultural differences were a big problem.

Espanyol eventually decided to let Nakamura leave. Media reports said language and communication problems were a factor. On February 26, 2010, Marinos agreed to a transfer fee to bring him back. Nakamura said he wanted to return to Marinos to make sure he played enough games to be ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Return to Yokohama F. Marinos

Nakamura rejoined Yokohama F. Marinos for the 2010 J.League season, eight years after leaving for Europe. In his first season back, he played in 32 of Marinos' 34 league games, starting 31 of them and scoring 5 goals.

In 2011, Nakamura became the captain of Marinos. He led the club to its best points total since they last won the league in 2004. During the 2013 season, Nakamura played 33 games and scored 10 goals in the league. He also played 10 games and scored 2 goals in the 2013 Emperor's Cup, which Marinos won. His league goals included a free-kick goal that broke the all-time J1 League record for direct free kicks. However, Nakamura was injured late in the season, and Marinos lost three of their last four games, finishing just one point behind the league winners. Nakamura called this "the worst moment" of his career.

Despite this, Nakamura was named J.League Most Valuable Player again for his contributions. He became the first and only player to win the award multiple times, and at the time, the oldest player to receive it. In 2016, Nakamura became the longest-serving captain in Marinos history. He also scored more free-kick goals, extending his all-time league record to 22. After the 2016 season, another J1 League team, Júbilo Iwata, offered Nakamura a contract. This led to rumors that Nakamura was unhappy at Marinos because of new owners interfering with player decisions. Nakamura said he wanted to retire with Marinos, his boyhood club, but felt he couldn't "face football properly" with the ongoing interference.

Playing for Júbilo Iwata

Nakamura joined Júbilo Iwata for the 2017 season. He scored his first goal for Júbilo on March 11, a direct free kick that brought his record J.League tally to 23. This goal was nominated for J.League Goal of the Month. He then won J.League Goal of the Month for April with a 30-yard shot. However, his chances to play decreased in the 2018 season. In the 2019 season, he only played 2 games until July.

Final Years with Yokohama FC

On July 11, 2019, Nakamura moved to Yokohama FC, a team in the J2 League (Japan's second division). He quickly became one of the most experienced players on the team. Nakamura played six games in the 2019 season, scoring one goal. Yokohama FC finished second in the league and earned promotion back to the J1 League.

He played ten more games in the 2020 season. In the 2021 season, Nakamura played twelve more matches as Yokohama FC finished last in the league and were relegated again. However, on December 22, 2021, the club announced that he had extended his contract for another year.

Retirement from Playing

Shunsuke Nakamura announced that he was retiring from playing football on October 17, 2022.

International Career for Japan

Youth National Teams

Nakamura's journey with Japan's national teams began in 1996. He was the only high school player chosen for the Under-19 team for the Asia Youth Championship. The next year, he was part of Japan's Under-20 team that reached the final 8 in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

In 1999, Nakamura was selected for Japan's Under-23 team. This team won all its qualifying matches for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Nakamura and Shinji Ono formed a strong attacking midfield partnership. This team's players would later become the core of the main Japan national team. In Sydney, Japan reached the quarter-final round.

Playing for the Senior Team

Nakamura made his debut for the senior national team on February 13, 2000, in an Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore. He scored his first national team goal against Brunei in the very next game on February 16, 2000.

After playing a key role in Japan winning the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, Nakamura seemed to have a secure spot on the national team. However, his national team career changed after a tough 5–0 loss to France on March 25, 2001. He didn't play for the team again for almost a year.

Even though Nakamura played in four friendly matches before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was not chosen for the final 23-man squad, which disappointed many fans. In a warm-up match against Honduras, he scored two goals, including one directly from a corner kick. However, he got a knee injury in that game and was ultimately not picked for the World Cup team.

Success Under Coach Zico

After the 2002 World Cup, a new coach, Zico, took over the Japan team. Zico immediately brought Nakamura back to the national team. Zico praised Nakamura's improvement, especially his physical strength, saying, "He is the soul of our midfield." Nakamura thrived under Zico's attacking style and became the main playmaker. He led Japan to win the Asian Cup 2004, where he was named Most Valuable Player. He also helped Japan qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Nakamura also played well for Japan in the 2003 and 2005 Confederations Cup, scoring 4 goals in 5 matches.

Nakamura was suspended for the World Cup qualifying match against North Korea on June 8, 2005, which secured Japan's spot in the 2006 Finals. Still, he played a very important role in the qualifying games and became Japan's main attacking playmaker during that time.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Nakamura scored a controversial opening goal in Japan's first game against Australia. Australia came back to win that game 3–1.

After the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nakamura retired from playing for the national team.

Playing Style

Nakamura was a very flexible playmaker with excellent ball control. He could play in several midfield positions, including in the center or out wide, but he usually played as an attacking midfielder behind the forwards. He was left-footed and known for his creativity and long passes. He was also famous for his amazing accuracy from free kicks, making him a specialist in set-pieces.

Managerial Career

On January 18, 2023, it was announced that Nakamura would become the first team coach of Yokohama FC for the 2023 season.

Personal Life

Nakamura married a former Japanese celebrity in 2004. His first son was born that same year. His second son was born on January 15, 2008, in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a fan of the Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo video game series. He has appeared on the front cover of the Japanese versions of Konami's Winning Eleven video game series several times. Nakamura has shown off his amazing free-kick skills on TV, like knocking small decorations off a wedding cake without touching the cake itself, and kicking a ball through the window of a moving bus!

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nakamura goal.

List of international goals scored by Shunsuke Nakamura

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 February 2000	Macau	Brunei		9–0	2000 Asian Cup qualifier
2	11 June 2000	Miyagi, Japan	Slovakia		1–1	Kirin Cup
3	16 August 2000	Hiroshima, Japan	United Arab Emirates		3–1	Friendly
4	2 May 2002	Kobe, Japan	Honduras		3–3	Kirin Cup
5
6	28 March 2003	Tokyo, Japan	Uruguay		2–2	Friendly
7	18 June 2003	Saint-Denis, France	New Zealand		3–0	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
8
9	20 June 2003	Saint-Étienne, France	France		1–2	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
10	9 June 2004	Saitama, Japan	India		7–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
11	20 July 2004	Chongqing, China	Oman		1–0	2004 AFC Asian Cup
12	24 July 2004	Chongqing, China	Thailand		4–1	2004 AFC Asian Cup
13	22 June 2005	Cologne, Germany	Brazil		2–2	2005 Confederations Cup
14	7 September 2005	Miyagi, Japan	Honduras		5–4	Friendly
15	8 October 2005	Riga, Latvia	Latvia		2–2	Friendly
16	12 June 2006	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Australia		1–3	2006 World Cup
17	13 July 2007	Hanoi, Vietnam	United Arab Emirates		3–1	2007 AFC Asian Cup
18	16 July 2007	Hanoi, Vietnam	Vietnam		4–1	2007 AFC Asian Cup
19	11 September 2007	Klagenfurt, Austria	Switzerland		4–3	Friendly
20
21	2 June 2008	Yokohama, Japan	Oman		3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
22	2 June 2008	Manama, Bahrain	Bahrain		3–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
23	28 March 2009	Saitama, Japan	Bahrain		1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
24	18 November 2009	Hong Kong	Hong Kong		4–0	2011 Asian Cup qualifier

Honours and Awards

Yokohama F. Marinos

• J.League Cup: 2001
• Emperor's Cup: 2013

Celtic

• Scottish Premier League: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
• Scottish Cup: 2006–07
• Scottish League Cup: 2005–06, 2008–09

Yokohama FC

• J2 League promotion: 2022

Japan National Team

• AFC Asian Cup: 2000, 2004

Individual Awards

• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2003
• J.League Player of the Year: 2000, 2013
• J.League Best Eleven: 1999, 2000, 2013
• J.League 20th Anniversary Team
• J.League 30th Anniversary Team
• J.League Monthly MVP: March 2013, October 2015
• Japanese Footballer of the Year: 2000, 2013
• AFC Asian Cup MVP: 2004
• AFC Asian Cup Best Eleven: 2000, 2004, 2007
• AFC Asian Cup All-time XI: 2023
• SPFA Players' Player of the Year: 2006–07
• SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2006–07
• SPL Player of the Year: 2006–07
• Celtic Player of the Year: 2006–07
• SPFA Team of the Season: 2006–07
• SPFA Goal of the Season: 2006–07

See also

In Spanish: Shunsuke Nakamura para niños