25 Shunsuke Nakamura Position:Midfielder Born: 24-Jun-1978 Height/Weight: 178/69 Birthplace: Kanagawa Previous Teams: Nissan FC Jr.Youth, Toko Gakuen HS., Yokohama Marinos, Reggina Appearances (J1/J2): 146/0 Goals: 32/0 First Appearance: 16-Apr-1997; Yokohama Marinos -vs- Gamba Osaka (at Mitsuzawa Stadium) First Goal : 03-May-1997; Yokohama Marinos -vs- Bellmare Hiratsuka (at Mitsuzawa Stadium) Appearances (Serie A): 81 Goals: 11 First Appearance: 18-Aug-2002; Reggina -vs- Taranto (at Taranto) First Goal : 18-Aug-1997; Reggina -vs- Taranto (at Taranto) Appearances (SPL): 33* Goals: 6*

J.League Statistics Year Team Matches Goals 1997 Yokohama Marinos 27 5 1998 Yokohama Marinos 33 9 1999 Yokohama Marinos 26 7 2000 Yokohama Marinos 30 5 2001 Yokohama Marinos 24 3 2002- Yokohama Marinos 8 4 TOTAL 146 32 SERIE A 2002/03 Reggina 32 7 2003/04 Reggina 16 2 2004/05 Reggina 33 2 TOTAL 81 11 Scotland Premier League 2005/06 Celtic 33 6 2006/07 Celtic 37 9 TOTAL 70 15

Shunsuke Nakamura has earned his spot as one of the top players in Japan. Though he spent several years playing in the shadow of another attacking midfielder, Hidetoshi Nakata, his performances in the 2004 Asian Cup and 2005 Confederations Cup eclipsed even those of his national team compatriot and former rival for the position as Japan's playmaker. Nakamura has a brilliant touch of the ball, and can send long, pinpoint passes to all corners of the field. He is particularly adept at set plays, and is extremely dangerous on free kicks, with a powerful left foot which can find the top corner with startling precision. By the time the 2006 World Cup kicked off, Nakamura had won the starting spot as the midfield playmaker for Japan's national team. However, it was not always self-apparent that Nakamura would reach the pinnacle of success. In his earlier years, Nakamura's main weaknesses was his lack of muscle on the ball, a lack of real speed, and an inability to dribble through traffic. These demerits, and the presence of other midfield playmakers like Nakata and Shinji Ono, eventually convinced Phillippe Troussier to leave Nakamura off the 2002 World Cup squad.

However, three years in Italy toughened him up considerably, and although physical power and ball control are still clear shortcomings, Nakamura has learned to use his talents in other areas to offset his disadvantages in size and "muscle". He still can be pushed "off-stride" at times, by a team that pressures him with physical contact, but he no longer is easily intimidated, and most coaches accept his physical limitations as an acceptable compromise when they consider his contributions in creating opportunities for teammates out of midfield. His ability to unlock even the tightest defences and above all, his deadly performance on set plays, make him a valuable member of any team.

After plying his trade in the J.League for five seasons, in July 2002 Nakamura signed to a three-year contract with Serie A club Reggina. When he first made the move to Italy, there were some concerns about whether he could handle the intense physical play and catenaccio defences of Serie A, but after an adjustment period of about six months, Nakamura began to demonstrate that his technical precision could be effective even at the highest level. As time went on and the constant challenge of first-rate opposition "toughened him up" a bit, Nakamura's contributions to Reggina began to increase, until he was viewed as one of the 3-4 players who carried the team offensively. The only drawback, from Nakamura's standpoint and that of his fans, was that the cautious and defensive attitude of Serie A football tended to stifle his creativity, and limited his ability to play the free-flowing football he loves best.

After his three-year contract expired, a host of rumours arose over where he might end up next. Though Nakamura did respond effectively to the physical side of Serie A play, many commentators suggested that he would be better suited to playing in Spain, where the more open and offensive style would allow him to utilise his creative talents to their fullest. But after months of rumour and counterrumour involving names ranging from Athletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna to Racing Santader and Borussia MG, it eventually became clear that the club most eager to retain his services was the Scottish old firm giants, Glasgow Celtic. Nakamura himself commented that -- although it was his dream to play in Spain -- the obvious sincerity and enthusiasm of Celtic's offers convinced him to move to Glasgow, on a three-year contract.

Since arriving in Scotland, Nakamura has quickly established himself as one of the team's star players. Those who are familiar with Nakamura's skill set understand why it is easier for him to thrive in the wide-open Scottish game than he did in Italy. Another helpful factor has been the fact that coach Gordon Strachan employs a style of play built around controlled passing and careful buildup from midfield -- a style that suits Nakamura perfectly. As he has grown more acclimated to a new country and new conditions, and developed chemistry with his new teammates, Nakamura's contributions have been steadily increasing. Though Nakamura indicates that a move to Spain is still on his wish list, in the longer run, for the time being he seems determined to give the bhoys at Parkhead a good show. We look forward to seeing his progress over the next season, and hope he can help the team to add to the silverware in the Celtic Park trophy room.

National Team Data & History
NT Caps: 60 NT Goals: 15 Tournaments: World Youth Championships (1999) Sydney Olympics (2000) Asian Cup (2000) Confederations Cup (2001) Confederations Cup (2003) Asian Cup (2004) Confederations Cup (2005) World Cup Qualifiers (2005) FIFA World Cup Germany (2006) Asian Cup (2007)
Date	Vs.	Score	Location	Status	Min.	G
2-8-2000	Hong Kong*	0-0	Hong Kong	Start	90	0
2-13-2000	Singapore	3-0	Macao Stadium	Start	90	0
2-16-2000	Brunei	9-0	Macao Stadium	Start	90	0
2-20-2000	Macao	3-0	Macao Stadium	Start	90	0
3-15-2000	China	0-0	Kobe Universiade	Sub	23	0
4-26-2000	Korea	0-1	Seoul, Korea	Sub	9	0
6-4-2000	France	2-2	Rabat, Morocco	Start	67	0
6-6-2000	Jamaica	4-0	Rabat, Morocco	Start	90	0
6-11-2000	Slovakia	1-1	Miyagi Stadium	Start	73	1
6-18-2000	Bolivia	2-0	Yokohama Int'l	Start	28	0
8-16-2000	UAE	3-0	Hiroshima"BigArch"	Start	72	1
10-14-2000	Saudi Arabia	4-1	Sidon, Lebanon	Start	90	0
10-17-2000	Uzbekistan	8-1	Sidon, Lebanon	Start	90	0
10-20-2000	Qatar	1-1	Sidon, Lebanon	Start	90	0
10-23-2000	Iraq	4-1	Beirut, Lebanon	Start	80	0
10-26-2000	China	3-2	Beirut, Lebanon	Start	80	0
10-29-2000	Saudi Arabia	1-0	Beirut, Lebanon	Start	90	0
12-20-2000	Korea	1-1	National Stadium	Start	45	0
3-25-2001	France	0-5	St.Denis,France	Start	45	0
3-21-2002	Ukraine	1-0	Nagai Stadium	Sub	45	0
4-17-2002	Costa Rica	1-1	Yokohama Int'l	Sub	8	0
4-29-2002	Slovakia	1-0	Nat'l Stadium	Start	90	0
5-2-2002	Honduras	3-3	Nat'l Stadium	Start	77	2
10-16-2002	Jamaica	1-1	Nat'l Stadium,	Start	90	0
11-20-2002	Argentina	0-2	Saitama Stadium	Start	58	0
3-28-2003	Uruguay	2-2	Nat'l Stadium	Start	45	1
6-11-2003	Paraguay	0-0	Saitama Stadium	U.R.	--	--
6-18-2003	New Zealand	3-0	St.Denis,France	Start	90	2
6-20-2003	France	1-2	St.Etienne,France	Start	80	1
6-22-2003	Colombia	0-1	St.Etienne,France	U.R.	--	--
8-20-2003	Nigeria	3-0	Nat'l Stadium	Start	90	0
9-10-2003	Senegal	0-1	Niigata Stadium	Start	90	0
10-8-2003	Tunisia	1-0	Tunis, Tunisia	Start	90	0
10-11-2003	Romania	1-1	Bucharest, Romania	Start	90	0
2-12-2004	Iraq	2-0	Shizuoka Stadium	Sub	18	0
2-18-2004	Oman	1-0	Shizuoka Stadium	Start	90	0
3-31-2004	Singapore	2-0	Jalan Besar Stadium	Start	90	0
5-30-2004	Iceland	3-2	Manchester, England	Start	45	0
6-01-2004	England	1-1	Manchester, England	Start	90	0
6-09-2004	India	7-0	Saitama Stadium, Japan	Start	90	1
7-10-2004	Slovakia	3-2	Oita Stadium, Japan	Start	87	0
7-13-2004	Serbia	1-0	Yokohama Int'l Stadium	Start	90	0
7-20-2004	Oman	1-0	Chongqing, China	Start	90	1
7-25-2004	Thailand	4-1	Chongqing, China	Start	90	1
7-28-2004	Iran	0-0	Chongqing, China	Start	90	0
7-31-2004	Jordan	1-1 (PK4-3)	Chongqing, China	Start	120	0
8-04-2004	Bahrain	4-3 (OT)	Chengdu, China	Start	120	0
8-07-2004	China	3-1	Beijing, China	Start	90	0
10-13-2004	Oman	1-0	Oman	Start	90	0
3-25-2005	Iran	1-2	Azadi Stadium, Iran	Start	90	0
3-30-2005	Bahrain	1-0	Saitama Stadium	Start	89	0
6-4-2005	Bahrain	1-0	Manama, Bahrain	Start	76	0
6-15-2005	Mexico	1-2	Hannover, Germany	Start	59	0
6-19-2005	Greece	1-0	Frankfurt, Germany	Start	89	0
6-22-2005	Brazil	2-2	Koln, Germany	Start	90	1
9-07-2005	Honduras	5-4	Miyagi Stadium	Start	86	1
10-08-2005	Latvia	2-2	Riga, Latvia	Start	76	1
10-12-2005	Ukraine	0-1	Ukraine	Start	69	0
11-12-2005	Angola	1-0	Natl Stadium, Tokyo	Start	90	0
6-3-2006	Germany	2-2	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Start	90	0
6-6-2006	Malta	1-0	Frankenstadion, Germany	Start	90	0
6-11-2006	Australia	1-3	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Start	90	1
6-18-2006	Croatia	0-0	Frankfurt, Germany	Start	90	0
6-22-2006	Brazil	1-4	Dortmund, Germany	Start	90	0
3-24-2007	Peru	2-0	Yokohama Stadium	Start	74	0
6-05-2007	Colombia	0-0	Saitama Stadium	Start	88	0