Hidetoshi Nakata Japanese football player, now a successful businessman Date of Birth: 22.01.1977 Country: Japan

Biography of Hidetoshi Nakata

Hidetoshi Nakata, a Japanese football player, is currently a successful businessman. Born on January 22, 1977, Nakata began playing professional football in 1995 when he was included in the main squad of the Japanese football club "Shonan Bellmare". The following year, he was invited to join the Japanese Olympic team, which created a sensation by defeating the Brazilian team. This was followed by Nakata's debut in the senior national team, where he quickly became one of the team's leaders.

During the qualifying tournament for the 1998 World Cup, Nakata played a fantastic match against the South Korean national team and was one of the main contributors to the victory that allowed Japan to participate in the playoffs against Iran. Nakata shone in these matches as well, being involved in all three goals scored by the Japanese team against Iran. This enabled Japan to participate in the World Cup in France. Nakata was recognized as the "Most Valuable Player" of the Asian Football Confederation.

After the 1998 World Cup, Nakata joined the modest Italian Serie A club, Perugia, and then moved to Roma in January 2001. In Roma, Nakata became a champion of Italy in 2001. In the decisive match against their main competitor, Juventus, Nakata scored two goals at the end of the game, which secured the championship for the club. However, this prevented him from helping the Japanese national team in the final match of the 2001 Confederations Cup.

Prior to the start of the 2002 World Cup, which was hosted by Japan, Nakata was the undisputed leader of the team. He made a tremendous contribution to the Japanese national team reaching the round of 16, despite scoring only one goal in the tournament. In 2004, Nakata moved to Bologna, and after the end of the championship, he joined Fiorentina. However, even he couldn't help the rapidly descending team in the Serie A standings. "Fiorentina" had one of the most unsuccessful seasons. Nakata changed clubs and countries once again, moving to England to play for Bolton Wanderers. Bolton became Nakata's last club in his career, although no one knew it at the time, as the World Cup in Germany was on the horizon.

The 2006 World Cup was a disappointment for Japan, as the team lost to Australia and Brazil, and drew with Croatia. After the tournament, Nakata announced his retirement from professional football. "I will never step onto the field again, but football will always live in my heart," Nakata said in one of his interviews. Currently, Hidetoshi Nakata is a successful businessman, heading one of the Japanese investment consortia.