Shunsuke Nakamura is still going strong in his homeland at 43 years of age it appears.
The Celtic great continues to keep his playing career going in Japan. And no wonder too given he’s still able to make a decent impact when utilised.
These days, Naka is playing for Yokohama FC, who are top of the J2 League – Japan’s second-tier. And footage last night emerged of his first pinpoint assist of the season from a corner in their 3-2 win over Mito HollyHock. You can see it for yourself below:
Naka clearly hasn’t lost it when it comes to the dead-ball situations. In fact, he looks like he could still a job in taking our own corner-kicks this season.
The Yokohama star was and continues to be well-loved at Celtic Park for his contribution here between 2005 and 2009. Nakamura made 145 appearances for the Hoops and secured 6 winner’s medals under Gordon Strachan.
The mercurial winger has already opened up on his plans to one day be a manager too. It will be interesting to see if a spell in coaching back at Parkhead ever comes to pass.
Shunsuke Nakamura still playing his part as a utility player in Japan
We won’t pretend that Nakamura has been a key player in Yokohama’s 4 wins out of 4 this season. In all 4 games he’s started on the bench and has only played 8 minutes of action in the J2 League.
However, the fact he’s still producing and contributing at his age is absolutely remarkable. It shows just how much talent he truly possesses. Even if this is his final year, it already looks like it could be a promising one. A chance for him to go out having taken Yokohama back into the J-League.
It remains to be seen where his coaching journey will take him afterward. It’s likely that he’ll continue to spend some time in his homeland honing his craft. But hopefully he eventually has his sights set on storming into Europe one day.
Nakamura is a name that always generates excitement amongst the Celtic support. Even having him back at Parkhead watching games feels like a blessing. He was, after all, our first-ever signing from Japan. He helped develop that relationship our supporters now have with his country.
It’s always great to hear about him doing well, even if it is in a bit-part role for now. He certainly appears to have the quality to continue performing for the rest of the season, especially from dead-ball situations.
Hopefully, he can take Yokohama back up and potentially call it a day at that point. Unless, of course, he fancies one more year operating in the top league. At 43, you wouldn’t put it past him.
In other news, The fantastic gesture Celtic players made at Lennoxtown over the last week
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