Where is shunsuke nakamura

Of course, all good things come to an end, and during the season Nakamura suggested he would leave Celtic at the end of his contract in order to return to Japan, having left his country of birth some seven years prior. Although Celtic failed to win a fourth consecutive title that year, Nakamura still gave fans plenty to sing about in his final campaign, including a hat-trick against St Mirren in February Nakamura left Celtic as a year-old seemingly nearing the end of his peak years, giving him time for a quick stop in La Liga before returning home for his autumn years.

His has been a career of extraordinary moments and extraordinary longevity. And therein lies the one minuscule reason why Bhoys could possibly begrudge their former star. Nakamura left Celtic to end his career in Japan, but, on this evidence, he could have hung around Scotland for another decade before doing so. Paddy McCourt: I played on the pitch how I learned to play on the street.

A celebration of Hidetoshi Nakata, Serie A cult hero and fashionista icon. Naka was inspirational that night as Celtic grabbed a vital victory to put them back in contention in the championship race and sent shivers down the spineless backs of Rangers.

In effect, he scored just one free-kick during that season, and his corner kicks were so poor that many believed he should have been retired from the role. He stuck out as best he could, and played a competent role but was little use at many a time in what was a poor season for the squad as much as himself. His final season was overshadowed by stories that it was to be his last, and he stuck out for the whole season despite overtures from Japanese clubs. In June , Naka signed for Espanyol, for a last hurrah before going back to Japan but his time there petered out, and the injury just lost him the edge there as it did at the end with Celtic.

He soon returned back to Japan. It may be true that Nakamura was not as an explosive talent as the great Lubomir Moravcik and there were games when his influence was snuffed out usually due to being constantly hacked down. But his genius was a joy to behold, and many believe that if Celtic had a better manager WGS had many detractors then Celtic could have gained more from playing him in a central midfield role and building the team around Naka more rather than sticking him out on the wings and possibly the wrong wing as well!

With three titles in his three years at Parkhead there is no doubting that Shunsuke Nakamura earned a place among the great Celts for the decade, however he has been under-rated and unappreciated by some sections.

Not every player can be the greatest, but Nakamura gave his all and was heavily involved in the play on field. Some critics point out that he was a poor traveller even within Scotland but that is excessive, and we can all point to evidence to show otherwise.

The general involvement that Nakamura had in play was something that those more knowledgeable about the game would understand and respect. Being on the wing sadly limited his role at times. Regardless, he was a great player for Celtic and was missed in later seasons, especially for his work at the set-pieces. The support all missed him for his good character and professionalism, as much as for his moments of genius. Also were to be missed were the multitudes of Japanese fans the Scottish support had the good fortune to meet both in Glasgow and in Europe who followed Celtic whilst Naka was at the club.

They added further colour and culture to the club, and were made very welcome. That boy. It would mean even more to me given the time I spent in Italy as a player. If you are talking a pure, pure footballer, he is as good as there is. It was asking too much of him, but he did it. He has looked physically and mentally tired recently, but he still managed to produce when it mattered.

He is the most technically gifted player I have ever been involved with in the game. He is terrific. He has got a strong mind and nothing upsets him. He will go down as the most-kicked player in the SPL by a million miles and nothing fazes him. The cheer changes in response to how we play the football. The cheer for a good but unspectacular play makes us happy, makes us feel the fans are watching our play, and tells us how good the play was.

Still, the newcomer finished with seven goals joint-highest in the team but his immediate future was not going to get better. Suffering from injuries meant he was limited to just 18 appearances and coupled with frequent managerial changes meant game time was lacking.

Walter Mazzarri arrived in but it was a season of poor results. Nakamura only scored twice and it was clear that his time with the club was coming to an end.

Nakamura was again linked with teams in Spain and Germany but was eventually persuaded to join the Bhoys. New manager Gordon Strachan was key in convincing him as he identified the Japanese attacker being the player who can lead Celtic back to the top. Nakamura presented upon his unveiling. Image credits: thescottishsun. He made his debut in the second league match of the season and would soon develop into one of the most important names on the team sheet.

Nakamura ended his debut campaign with six goals and 10 assists but it was his intelligent playing style and controlled performances earning rave reviews. Celtic completed the double of the league championship and League Cup as Nakamura made his European bow next year. He would immediately establish himself as a dead-ball specialist, scoring twice from free-kicks in two games against Manchester United. The second of those was perhaps his most famous goal in Scotland, as it helped the club clinch qualification to the knockout stages for the very first time.

Though the Bhoys fell against AC Milan, they secured a second league title in a row thanks to a last-minute free-kick from Nakamura helping them take an unassailable lead at the summit. With nine goals and 12 assists, he was named Scottish Player of the Year.

The season would again see Nakamura struggle with injury, though he continued playing through it. That resulted in him finally having to miss three months of action from October. In a critical Old Firm derby in April, the Japanese star smashed home a yard volley his first against Rangers in a win. His final season in Scotland would bring him another League Cup as he crossed appearances for the club, finishing with 29 goals and 41 assists.

Though there was intense speculation that he would go back to Marinos, the year-old moved to La Liga. However, cultural and language issues along with infrequent playing time meant Nakamura was mostly on the bench.

As the season progressed, it was clear that this was not a happy association and would soon come to an end. Nakamura had a torrid time in Spain. Image credits: skysports.

Despite another year remaining on his contract, the club moved to sell him in the winter transfer window. Unfortunately, you become the barometer with which all other signings of that nationality are compared. Regardless of style, position or anything else. The way Naka did it, though, with his unbelievable technique and love for a screamer, means that automatically, people are going to compare any Japanese player to him. The standards he set were sky high. Score more goals, win more trophies.

As for Kyogo, he seems to be taking everything in his stride. Described as smiley and bubbly by his teammates , he seems to be adapting extremely well to life in Glasgow. Want to join the discussion?