Shunsuke Nakamura

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Shunsuke Nakamura is not to be confused with Shinsuke Nakamura, the Japanese professional wrestler/MMA fighter
Shunsuke Nakamura
Personal information
Full name Shunsuke Nakamura
Date of birth June 24, 1978 (age 28)
Place of birth    Flag of Japan Yokohama, Japan
Height 178cm
Nickname Naka, Shun-chan
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Flag of Scotland Celtic
Youth clubs
1991-1994
1994-1997		 Flag of Japan Nissan F.C. Junior Youth
Flag of Japan Toko Gakuen High School
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1997-2002
2002-2005
2005-		 Flag of Japan Yokohama Marinos
Flag of Italy Reggina
Flag of Scotland Celtic		 146 (33)
081 (11)
064 (13)   
National team2
2000- Flag of Japan Japan 059 (13)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 21:26, 24 March 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of March 24, 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)

Shunsuke Nakamura (中村 俊輔 Nakamura Shunsuke, born June 24, 1978) is a Japanese football player who currently plays for Celtic of the Scottish Premier League. He is one of the most prominent and successful Asian players to play in Europe and on 13 September 2006 became the first Japanese player to score in the Champions League

He has won the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004 with the Japanese national football team, and was named Most Valuable Player in the 2004 competition. He has also appeared in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, and the 2000 Summer Olympics as a member of the Japanese Under-23 team.

In his first season with Celtic, Nakamura helped the club win the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup. His contributions to the Japanese national football team are represented by 16 goals. His former clubs include Yokohama F. Marinos and Reggina, for whom he scored 38 and 11 goals respectively before moving to Celtic on 25 July 2005 for a fee of around 2.75 million pounds.

Contents

[edit] Playing style

Nakamura is a playmaking midfielder usually deployed by Celtic on the right hand side of midfield. He had previously been positioned in the centre or on the left hand side of the pitch, since he is left-footed.

He is known for his vision and touch, as well as being a free-kick specialist. He can create scoring opportunities for his teammates but is also more than capable of scoring himself. Former Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashiwa Reysol manager and Tottenham Hotspur player Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura was so good, he "could open a tin of beans with his left foot".[1]

Slightly built at 178 cm tall, Nakamura has been criticized for lack of strength on the ball, and his physical weakness was one of the reason for his omission from Japan's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad. However, he has addressed this shortcoming during his three seasons in Italy and he has flourished in the similarly physical Scottish football. Combined with the physical maturity, Nakamura's ability to create opportunities for teammates and unlock defences, as well as his accurate direct free kicks have made him one of the most important players on the Japanese national team and a key player for his club sides.

[edit] Early years

Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, Nakamura began playing football competitively at age 5, playing with the local youth club side Misono FC until he entered junior high school. In fifth grade, he was selected for Yokohama's city all-star team's tour of the former Soviet Union, even though the team was only meant to include sixth graders.

In 1991 at age 12, he joined Nissan F.C. Junior Youth, the youth division of Nissan Motors' club side, which would become Yokohama Marinos when J. League began play in 1993.

However, Nakamura was not promoted to the Nissan F.C. Youth team In 1994, and he enrolled at Toko Gakuen High School in Kawasaki. There, Nakamura was named the most valuable player of Japan's national high school football tournament in 1995, and led the school to the tournament final in 1996.

After graduation from Toko Gakuen in 1997, Nakamura signed with the local club, Yokohama Marinos.

[edit] National team

[edit] Youth national teams (1996-2000)

Nakamura's national team career with Japan started in 1996 as the only high school player selected to the Under-19 team for the Asia Youth Championship. The following year, he was a member of Japan's Under-20 team that finished in the final 8 of the FIFA World Youth Championship.

In 1999, Nakamura was selected a member of Japan's Under-23 team that won all its Asian qualifying matches in the run up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Nakamura formed a lethal combination in the attacking midfield with Shinji Ono on a team that would form the core of the Japanese national team, and included Atsushi Yanagisawa, Junichi Inamoto and Naohiro Takahara. In Sydney, Japan reached the quarterfinal round.

[edit] Under Troussier (2000-02)

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

After helping Japan win Asian Cup 2000, Nakamura appeared to have cemented his place in the national team, having played every match of the tournament. However, his national team career took a sharp turn in a friendly match on March 25, 2001, a humiliating 5-0 loss to France. He did not play for the team led by manager Philippe Troussier again until almost a year later, in a friendly match against Ukraine on March 21, 2002.

Although Nakamura played in four friendly matches leading up to the 2002 World Cup Finals, he was left off the 23-man squad for Japan to the disappointment of fans. In the second to last warm up match for the 2002 World Cup Finals against Honduras, he scored two goals, one of them a curling shot made directly from a corner kick.[2] However, he picked up a knee injury against Honduras and did not play in the final warm up match, a 3-0 loss against Norway, and was ultimately not picked for the World Cup squad.[3]

Despite Nakamura's talents, Troussier could not find a place in his rigid, defensive-minded system. He believed Nakamura lacked the physique and stamina to play either the center or the left of the midfield, and had a surplus of players at both positions.[4]

[edit] Under Zico (2002-06)

After the World Cup, Troussier resigned as manager of Japan, and was replaced by former Brazil and Kashima Antlers star Zico. The new coach immediately brought the talented player back to the national team, starting Nakamura in his début against Jamaica.

Zico has lauded Nakamura's improvement since 2002, especially his physical development, stating, "Unquestionably, he has improved a great deal since his move to Serie A. He is the soul of our midfield."[5] Nakamura has flourished under Zico's attacking style and earned his place as the central playmaker. He led Japan to the championship at Asian Cup 2004, where he was named Most Valuable Player, and qualification for the 2006 World Cup Finals.[6] Nakamura also starred for Japan in the 2003 and 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, scoring a total of 4 goals in 6 matches.

Nakamura was suspended for the World Cup qualification match against North Korea on June 8, 2005 that clinched Japan's place in the 2006 Finals,[7] he nonetheless played a key role in the qualifying run and has replaced Hidetoshi Nakata as the main playmaker in Japan's attack.[8]

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup Nakamura scored the controversial opening goal in Japan's first game against Australia.

[edit] Club career

[edit] Yokohama Marinos (1997-2002)

In 1997, 19-year-old Nakamura joined Yokohama Marinos of J. League (later merged with Yokohama Flugels and renamed 'Yokohama F. Marinos), a club whose youth side he had played for when it was known as Nissan Motors FC. He made his début with Marinos on April 16 of that year against Gamba Osaka. Nakamura finished the season with 27 appearances and 5 goals.

In 2000, Nakamura had his best season in Yokohama, recording 5 goals and 11 assists, and winning the J. League Most Valuable Player award.

Nakamura left Marinos during the 2002 season to join Reggina of Serie A, after the clubs agreed to a US$3.5 million transfer fee following a 6-month loan period.[9]

[edit] Reggina (2002-2005)

Following the disappointment of being omitted from Japan's final World Cup squad, Nakamura joined Italian club Reggina, newly promoted to Serie A. Expectations for Nakamura were high, as he was given the prestigious number 10 shirt from the start, and he responded by scoring in three consecutive matches early in the season.

However, Nakamura struggled with injuries in the defensive-minded Serie A, appearing in just 18 matches in the 2003-04 season, while the club struggled to avoid relegation all three seasons he played there. After three seasons in Italy, he felt it was time to move on.

[edit] Celtic (2005-present)

Nakamura going through pre-match training routine.
Nakamura going through pre-match training routine.

Nakamura expressed interest in playing in Spain and media reports linked him to Atlético Madrid and Deportivo La Coruña of La Liga as well as Bundesliga teams Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2005,[10] but Nakamura ultimately chose to join Scottish Premier League champions Celtic.

Although Japanese football observer Jeremy Walker warned that Nakamura's lack of pace and stamina may be a problem in Scotland[1], he made an immediate impact with Celtic, as he was named Man of the Match in his début against Dundee United on August 6, 2005.[11] His creativity, as well as his work ethic and composure under pressure has won praise from teammates, manager Gordon Strachan and Celtic supporters.[12][13]

In his first season with Celtic, Nakamura won his first major club titles, the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup.[14]

On 13 September 2006, he played his début Champions League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He scored a superb freekick to bring the game level at 2-2. However, the game ended with the home side winning 3-2.

On 14 October 2006, he played in a league game against Dundee United at Tannadice Park and went on to get man of the match as well as score his first hat-trick of his Celtic career. The game ended 4-1 in Celtic's favour.

On 21 November 2006, Nakamura scored perhaps the most important goal of his career to date with a spectacular 30 yard free-kick against Manchester United at Celtic Park in a crucial Champions League game. The goal resulted in Celtic progressing to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time and further secured his hero status with the Celtic fans.

On 26 December 2006, Nakamura pulled off a stunning chip of Dundee United goalkeeper Derek Stillie to equalise for Celtic at Celtic Park in a game many thought Celtic were set to lose. It was Nakamura's performance in the final 20 minutes of the game which allowed Celtic to escape with a point, prompting Celtic manager Gordon Strachan to proclaim his creative superstar "a genius".[15]

On 25 February 2007, Nakamura's bone in left hand was broken after an Inverness’ player stepped on in SPL (Scottish Premier League) quarter-final. However, Nakamura played in the next game on March 3 against Dunfermline Athletic[16]. Gordon Strachan, the Coach of Celtic said that they couldn’t play the second leg of UEFA CL 06-07 against AC Milan in San Siro without him[17]. The first-leg match held in Celtic Park, Glasgow was 0:0.The second leg was 1-0 in AC Milans favour.

[edit] Honors

[edit] Individual honors

[edit] Team honors

[edit] Club career statistics

[edit] In domestic competitions

Season Team Country Division Apps Goals Assists Titles
1997 Yokohama Marinos Japan 1 27 5 5
1998 Yokohama Marinos Japan 1 33 9 8
1999 Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 1 26 7 7
2000 Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 1 30 5 11 J-League MVP, J. League 1st stage
2001 Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 1 24 3 4 J. League Cup
2002 Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 1 8 4 5
2002-2003 Reggina Italy 1 31 7 5
2003-2004 Reggina Italy 1 16 2 2
2004-2005 Reggina Italy 1 33 2 3
2005-2006 Celtic Scotland 1 33 6 9 Scottish Premier League, Scottish League Cup
2006-2007 Celtic Scotland 1 27 7 10 Scottish Premier League February Player of the Month

[edit] In European competitions

Season Team Country Competition Apps Goals Assists Achievements
2006-2007 Celtic Scotland UEFA CL 8 2 1

[edit] National team career statistics

[edit] Appearaces in major competitions

Year Competition Category Appearances Goals Team Record
Start Sub
1997 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship U-20 5 0 1 Quarterfinals
2000 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification Senior 3 0 2 Qualified
2000 2000 Olympics U-23 4 0 0 Quarterfinals
2000 2000 AFC Asian Cup Senior 5 0 0 Champion
2003 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Senior 2 0 2 Round 1
2004 2004 AFC Asian Cup Senior 6 0 2 Champion
2005 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Senior 3 0 1 Round 1
2004-2005 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification Senior 7 1 1 Qualified
2006 2006 FIFA World Cup Senior 3 0 1 Round 1

[edit] Goals for national team

Shunsuke Nakamura: International Goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. February 16, 2000 Macau, China Brunei 9-0 Won Asian Cup 2000 Qual
2. June 11, 2000 Miyagi, Japan Slovakia 1-1 Draw Friendly
3. August 16, 2000 Hiroshima, Japan United Arab Emirates 3-1 Won Friendly
4. May 2, 2002 Kobe, Japan Honduras 3-3 Draw Friendly
5. May 2, 2002 Kobe, Japan Honduras 3-3 Draw Friendly
6. March 28, 2003 Tokyo, Japan Uruguay 2-2 Draw Friendly
7. June 18, 2003 Paris, France New Zealand 3-0 Won Confederations Cup 2003 Group Stage
8. June 18, 2003 Paris, France New Zealand 3-0 Won Confederations Cup 2003 Group Stage
9. June 20, 2003 Saint-Étienne, France France 1-2 Lost Confederations Cup 2003 Group Stage
10. June 9, 2004 Saitama, Japan India 7-0 Won World Cup 2006 Qual
11. July 20, 2004 Chongqing, China Oman 1-0 Won Asian Cup 2004 Group Stage
12. July 24, 2004 Chongqing, China Thailand 4-1 Won Asian Cup 2004 Group Stage
13. June 22, 2005 Cologne, Germany Brazil 2-2 Draw Confederations Cup 2005 Group Stage
14. September 7, 2005 Miyagi, Japan Honduras 5-4 Won Friendly
15. October 8, 2005 Riga, Latvia Latvia 2-2 Draw Friendly
16. June 12, 2006 Kaiserslautern, Germany Australia 1-3 Lost World Cup 2006 Group Stage

[edit] Goals for club teams

Shunsuke Nakamura: Club Goals
Competition # Date Opponent Score
J. League - 1997 1 May 3, 1997 Bellmare Hiratsuka 2-4
2, 3 August 23, 1997 @ Bellmare Hiratsuka 3-1
4 September 24, 1997 @ Cerezo Osaka 3-2
5 October 4, 1997 @ Kashiwa Reysol 3-2
J. League - 1998 1 March 25, 1998 @ Cerezo Osaka 3-4
2 April 4, 1998 @ Avispa Fukuoka 5-2
3 April 11, 1998 Consadole Sapporo 4-0
4 September 15, 1998 Yokohama Flugels 2-0
5 September 19, 1998 Cerezo Osaka 2-3
6 September 26, 1998 Avispa Fukuoka 3-0
7, 8, 9 November 14, 1998 Bellmare Hiratsuka 4-2
J. League - 1999 1 March 13, 1999 @ Kyoto Purple Sanga 3-1
2 April 3, 1999 @ Shimizu S-Pulse 3-2
3, 4 April 10, 1999 Cerezo Osaka 6-0
5 April 24, 1999 Kashima Antlers 3-3
6 May 8, 1999 JEF United Ichihara 4-1
7 September 18, 1999 Verdy Kawasaki 3-2
J. League - 2000 1 April 1, 2000 @ Kashima Antlers 3-2
2 April 29, 2000 Gamba Osaka 4-1
3 July 29, 2000 @ Nagoya Grampus Eight 2-3
4 August 19, 2000 Verdy Kawasaki 3-2
5 November 11, 2000 JEF United Ichihara 1-0
J. League - 2001 1 September 22, 2001 @ Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-3
2 October 31, 2001 @ FC Tokyo 1-1
3 November 17, 2001 Gamba Osaka 2-1
J. League - 2002 1 March 9, 2002 @ Nagoya Grampus Eight 1-0
2 April 7, 2002 Gamba Osaka 2-1
3 April 13, 2002 @ Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0
4 July 21, 2002 @ Tokyo Verdy 1969 2-1
Serie A 2002-03 1 September 22, 2002 Inter Milan 1-2
2 September 29, 2002 @ Como 1-1
3 October 5, 2002 Brescia 2-2
4 November 17, 2002 @ Empoli 2-4
5 November 30, 2002 Chievo 1-1
6 April 6, 2003 Empoli 1-0
7 May 3, 2003 Roma 2-3
Coppa Italia 2002-03 1 August 18, 2002 @ Taranto 3-0
Serie A 2003-04 1, 2 September 21, 2003 @ Brescia 4-4
Serie A 2004-05 1 January 6, 2005 Palermo 1-0
2 February 27, 2005 Chievo 1-0
Scottish Premier League 2005-06 1 August 28, 2005 @ Dunfermline 4-0
2 October 26, 2005 Motherwell 5-0
3 December 26, 2005 Livingston 2-1
4 January 14, 2006 Kilmarnock 4-2
5, 6 April 9, 2006 @ Kilmarnock 4-1
Scottish Premier League 2006-07 1 July 29, 2006 Kilmarnock 4-1
2, 3, 4 October 14, 2006 @ Dundee United 4-1
5 October 29, 2006 @ Kilmarnock 2-1
6 December 26, 2006 Dundee United 2-2
7 February 17, 2007 @ Aberdeen 2-1
UEFA Champions League 2006-07 1 September 13, 2006 @ Flag of England Manchester United 2-3
2 November 21, 2006 Flag of England Manchester United 1-0

[edit] Trivia

  • Nakamura appeared with Zico on the front cover of the Japanese releases of Konami's Winning Eleven video game series (WE 5 WE 9, WE 9: Ubiquitous Evolution and WE 10) in 2001, 2005 and 2006. He also appeared on the front cover of Namco's Football Kingdom Trial Edition in 2004.
  • Nakamura got married with a former Japanese talent in 2004. In the same year, his first son was born.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.fcjapan.co.jp/mail_magazine/news/feature_view.php3?id=423&m=1
  2. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/05/02/japan_honduras/
  3. ^ http://worldcup.espnsoccernet.com/story?id=210564&lang=en
  4. ^ http://www.fcjapan.co.jp/mail_magazine/news/feature_view.php3?id=49&m=1
  5. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=336786&cc=5901
  6. ^ http://www.fifa.com/en/news/interview/0,4323,110314-N,00.html
  7. ^ http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/050608/1/3tgq.html
  8. ^ http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/050922/1/4pwd.html
  9. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2002/07/04/italy_nakamura-ap/
  10. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=335345
  11. ^ http://sport.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=829&id=1740152005
  12. ^ http://www.celticfc.net/newsroom/news.aspx?id='2005-12-12_1152ss'
  13. ^ http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/news/scot-premier/shunsuke.html
  14. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/sport/columns/200604/s1622269.htm
  15. ^ http://www.celticfc.net/newsroom/news.aspx?id='2006-12-27_1252df'
  16. ^ "Celts ease past Pars". Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  17. ^ "Celts ease past Pars". Retrieved on 2007-03-01.

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Flag of Japan Hiroshi Nanami		 Asian Cup Most Valuable Player
2004		 Succeeded by
'Not Yet Announced'
Preceded by
Flag of Japan Alex		 J-League Player of the Year
2000		 Succeeded by
Flag of Japan Toshiya Fujita


Flag of Japan Japan squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Flag of Japan

1 Narazaki | 2 Moniwa | 3 Komano | 4 Endo | 5 Miyamoto | 6 K. Nakata | 7 H. Nakata | 8 Ogasawara | 9 Takahara | 10 Nakamura | 11 Maki | 12 Doi | 13 Yanagisawa | 14 Santos | 15 Fukunishi | 16 Oguro | 17 Inamoto | 18 Ono | 19 Tsuboi | 20 Tamada | 21 Kaji | 22 Nakazawa | 23 Kawaguchi | Coach: Zico
Celtic F.C. - Current Squad

1 Boruc | 2 Telfer | 3 Naylor | 5 Caldwell | 6 Balde | 7 Żurawski | 9 Miller | 10 Vennegoor of Hesselink | 11 Hartley | 12 Wilson | 14 Riordan | 15 Sno | 16 Gravesen | 17 Pressley | 18 Lennon | 20 Jarošík | 21 Brown | 24 Perrier-Doumbé | 25 Nakamura | 26 Sheridan | 37 Beattie | 41 Kennedy | 42 McGlinchey | 44 McManus | 46 McGeady | 48 O'Dea | 49 Cuthbert | 50 Irvine | 51 Riley | 53 Ferry | 54 Conroy | Manager: Strachan
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