Shunsuke Nakamura

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Shinsuke Nakamura.

Shunsuke Nakamura

Nakamura playing for Japan in 2008

Personal information
Full name

Shunsuke Nakamura[1]

Date of birth

24 June 1978 (age 36)

Place of birth

Yokohama, Japan

Height

1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Playing position

Midfielder

Club information
Current team

Yokohama F. Marinos

Number

10

Youth career
19861995

Nissan Junior Youth

19951998

Tk Gakuen High School

Senior career*
Years

Team

19972002

Yokohama F. Marinos

20022005

Reggina

20052009

Celtic

20092010

Espanyol

2010

Yokohama F. Marinos

Apps (Gls)
148

(33)

81

(16)

128

(29)

12

(0)

152

(7)

National team
1997

Japan U20

(1)

2000

Japan U23

(0)

20002010

Japan

98

(24)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic

league only and correct as of 1 December 2014.
Appearances (Goals).
National team caps and goals correct as of 1 July 2010

Shunsuke Nakamura ( Nakamura Shunsuke?, born 24 June 1978) is a Japanese

professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Yokohama F. Marinos in J. League
Division 1. He is the first and only player to have been twice named J. League Most Valuable Player,
receiving the award in 2000 and 2013.[2] He is well known for his vision, touch, and free kick-taking
abilities; Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans with his left
foot".[3]
His former clubs include Espanyol, Celtic, and Reggina. During his time at Celtic, he became one of
the best Asian players to have ever played in Europe; he was nominated for the 2007 Ballon
d'Or,[4] was namedScottish Player of the Year[5] and SFWA Footballer of the Year[6] in 2007, and
became the first Japanese player to score in the UEFA Champions League.[7] His team
accomplishments at Celtic include winning the Scottish Premier League in 2006, 2007, and 2008,
theScottish League Cup in 2006 and 2009, and the Scottish Cup in 2007.
Nakamura has 98 caps and 24 goals for the Japanese national football team, including appearances
in the FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and2010[8] and winning the AFC Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004;
he was named Most Valuable Player in the 2004 competition. He also appeared in the 1997 FIFA
World Youth Championship as a member of the Japanese Under-20 team and the 2000 Summer
Olympics as a member of the Japanese Under-23 team.
Asteroid 29986 Shunsuke is also named in his honour