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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hidetoshi Nakata | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfield | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 June 06 | |||
Hidetoshi Nakata (中田 英寿 Nakata Hidetoshi; born January 22, 1977 in Yamanashi Prefecture), is a Japanese soccer player. He is one of the most famous Asian footballers of his generation.
Biography
After playing for five different clubs in Italy (and winning an Italian league title), Nakata moved to England in August 2005 to try his luck in the Premiership with a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers. Nakata's first start for Bolton was in the club's first-ever European match, the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie against Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv, which Bolton won 2-1.
Nakata adapted well to the pace and physicality of the English Premier League and forced his way into contention for a regular starting place with Wanderers. Although he has returned to Fiorentina after his loan spell, manager Sam Allardyce hopes to be able to take him back to the Reebok Stadium.
A song was written about him, Go Nakata!, by the artist Joe Banana.
Nakata has cited the popular manga and anime series, Captain Tsubasa, as his primary inspiration in choosing football as a career. He has been appearing in public lately with Milla Jovovich.
Clubs
- Bolton Wanderers August 2005 - May 2006 (loan deal)
- Fiorentina July 2004 - present
- Bologna January 2004 - July 2004 (loan deal)
- Parma July 2001 - January 2004
- Roma January 2000 - July 2001
- Perugia July 1998 - January 2000
- Bellmare Hiratsuka (Japan) 1997 - July 1998
Honors
- Selected to FIFA 100: 2004
- Coppa Italia: 2002 (with AC Parma)
- Serie A Champions: 2001 (with AS Roma)
- AFC Asian Player of the Year: 1997 1998
Notes and references
- ‘I don’t understand why people are football fans. I don’t like to watch any kind of sport’ - by Jonathan Northcroft, The Sunday Times, January 1, 2006.
External links
- Nakata.net Official website
- Hidetoshi Nakata's Blog
- Career profile and stats at FootballDatabase
| Preceded byKhodadad Azizi | Asian Player of the Year 1997, 1998 |
Succeeded byAli Daei |
| Japan squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||