Shunsuke Nakamura - appreciation thread

The security of knowing every in range free kick was a near guaranteed goal, them were the days.

 

From the 2023 season, Mr. Shunsuke Nakamura will be appointed as the Yokohama FC top team coach.


Yokohama Fukaen SC - Nissan FCJr Youth - Toko Gakuen High School - Yokohama Marinos/ Yokohama F. Marinos - Reggina / Italy - Celtic FC / Scotland - RCD Espanyol / Spain - Yokohama F. Marinos - Jubilo Iwata - Yokohama FC

Japan national team history: 98 appearances in total / 24 goals

■ Comments:

“From the 2023 season, I will be appointed as the coach of the Yokohama FC top team and will follow the path of a coach.I am very happy to be able to play as a member of Yokohama FC next season. It has been a great source of inspiration in my football life.I will work hard to be able to do the same.I will once again face football from scratch, take on various challenges, repeat failures and successes, and grow. I would like to thank you for your continued support.Shunsuke Nakamura"

 

There must come a time when he'll come here again, and train our youth, our main team- everyone, in the delightful art of set pieces.

 

He won’t, and he shouldn’t just because the player he was.

Teaching set pieces, all he could teach is to tell players to practice more than anybody else, before training and when training is finished. That’s what he done.

And the other player that played with him who stayed to practice more who scored as much free kicks as him the season the played together, Shaun Maloney, that’s what he done. Stayed behind with Lubo at first then with Naka.

Ye can’t teach that, down to the player himself to do it. I feel like Jota’s doing it though, he hit a couple last year that were tame, the Real one and his one in the Everton friendly, he’s put the practice in.

 

Yokohama FC's coach Shunsuke Nakamura sweated with the players on the 10th, the third day of the camp at Kiyotake General Sports Park in Miyazaki.



Coach Nakamura wore the light blue uniform for the players over the gray uniform for the staff during the 5-on-5 mini-game practice. During the half-court intra-squad match that followed, he watched from off the pitch and actively spoke to the young players.

　Three days have passed since the camp-in, but according to officials, there was no comment as coach Nakamura wanted the players to pay attention first.

　At the end of the day, he took out the put away ball again and kicked a long ball in the "staying practice" after the players left, showing a happy smile.

 

Pls, Celtic, sign him up as a set piece coach.

 

Celtic being in Japan is a special moment for the five first-team players from the country, but the Hoops' relationship started well before they arrived with the introduction of Shunsuke Nakamura in 2005.

An icon for club and country, his performances left the supporters speechless over his four years in the green and white. He was an artist on the ball and his ability from set pieces put him amongst the world’s best.16

Nakamura’s two teams are due to meet on Wednesday, as Celtic take on the club he spent most of his career with, Yokohama F. Marinos.

With the players taking part in a training session at the Nissan Stadium on Tuesday night, and the five players from Japan taking part in a special meet and greet with local fans and media, the Hoops hero headed down to the arena to take part in the event, meet the team, and speak to Celtic TV while he was there.

Speaking about Celtic being in Japan, the 45-year-old said: “I think it is a very exciting game for the Japanese fans.

“I hope the match will give the children playing football in Japan dreams and hopes.

“I think the current players have made a tremendous impact from when I was playing for Celtic.

'I want to thank them for their brilliant performances and for giving fans the opportunity to recall me.'

“Yes, I know it will be a hot and very difficult game for Celtic.

“I think the hard work and agility of the Japanese players and the teams in the league will stand out.

“It will be a challenge for Celtic in those areas, but I hope it will be a great game for both sides




Attending the pre-training event at the stadium gave Nakamura the opportunity to see Tomoki Iwata, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Yuki Kobayashi and Reo Hatate, meeting some of them for the first time.

Their performances at the club so far have helped see five domestic trophies come back to Paradise over two seasons, with a second successive year of Champions League football.

Nakamura, of course, is well remembered for his goals and performances on Europe’s biggest stage and he hopes that with this current group, they too can repeat the feat he achieved of advancing from the group stages.

Speaking about the five players, he said: “It's never easy, and it's great that they have achieved solid performance under rather a lot of pressure with so many Japanese players in the team.

“I hope they can continue this momentum.

“When I was there, I had a lot of team-mates who were also incredibly high-level players.

“I'm remembered by the fans for my set pieces but I was able to succeed so much because of the quality of the other players at that time.

“So I believe it will be important for them to reach the last 16 in the Champions League.”

No conversation with Nakamura can be complete without asking him for his own memories from his Celtic career.

With three league titles, two League Cups, one Scottish Cup, and plenty of Champions League memories to choose from, there’s one goal in particular that stands out amongst most.

He remembered: “My best memory is playing in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic Park – I will never forget those loud cheers.

'Celtic fans are an irreplaceable treasure.'

“The goal against Rangers I still remember. That was the first time I scored against Rangers from mid-range and it was perfect.”

 

Bring him on to take them

 

A wand of a left foot, still looks fit as * at 45

 

We used to watch this guy, now we watch David Turnbull, think about that?

 

The absolute definition of a class act on and off the field.

 

We used to watch Mike Galloway and Stuart Slater, think about that.

 

In that same team we used to watch Paul Telfer and Mo Camara. What's your point?