Celtic legend Shunsuke Nakamura set for controversial new step in coaching career

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Celtic fans don’t hear often from Shunsuke Nakamura these days.

Nakamura continued his playing career in Japan until the age of 43, finally retiring with Yokohama FC in 2022.

Since then, he has kickstarted his coaching career with the club, which is based in his hometown. He helped them to promotion to the J League in his first year coaching there, but they were relegated instantly.

Yokohama F Marinos was Nakamura’s first club. Of course, this is the side from which Celtic have taken Ange Postecoglou, Daizen Maeda and Tomoki Iwata in recent years.

And with Nakamura now having left Yokohama FC, he could be set to move back across to the Marinos.

Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura set to follow in Ange Postecoglou’s footsteps

Yokohama F Marinos were founded as the result of a merger between Yokohama Flügels and Yokohama Marinos. Many fans of the former club rejected this merger.

They then founded Yokohama FC, giving birth to what is now one of the most intense (yet imbalanced) rivalries in Japan.

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On Wednesday, Yokohama FC confirmed that Nakamura had left the club, and according to Yahoo in Japan, multiple sources are saying that the Marinos are interested in bringing him back to the club after ten years.

This is controversial, as Nakamura was widely expected to finish his playing career at the Marinos, and his decision to leave them for Jubilo Iwata in 2017 didn’t go down well with everyone.

However, the divide in Yokohama is imbalanced. The Marinos regularly compete at the top of the league and have won two of the last six J League titles.

Yokohama FC, on the other hand, are a yo-yo club which has never won a top-flight title in Japan – so a move back to the Marinos would undoubtedly be a step up for Nakamura.

The report also says that Nakamura has been working on his coaching badges with the Japanese FA – he clearly fancies trying his hand at management one day.

But for now, it looks like he is set to start rebuilding his reputation at the Marinos, working within the City Football Group.

Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura’s statement upon leaving Yokohama FC

Upon leaving his first coaching role, Nakamura said: “As a coach, I am very disappointed that we were unable to remain in J1, and I feel sorry for all of you who have supported me. I have decided to leave Yokohama FC, where I have been for six and a half years.

“I gave it much thought and had many thoughts and conflicts, but I have made this decision after seeking a new challenge as a coach and as a footballer.

“I received an offer in the 2019 season, and I would like to express my gratitude to everyone associated with the club for their tremendous cooperation, from retiring from active play, organizing my retirement match, and obtaining my coaching license.

“I have many memories and had invaluable experiences at Yokohama FC, both as a player and as a coach. The wonderful time I spent at Yokohama FC will be irreplaceable for the rest of my life.”