Celtic have expressed their congratulations to Shunsuke Nakamura after the midfielder retired at the age of 42.
Way back in 2005 Gordon Strachan made Nakamura one of his first signings, getting four years of service and building a bridge into Japan that is now paying off in a new generation of players.
Free kicks were Nakamura’s speciality with two standing out above all others- one to beat Manchester United in the 2006 Champions League alongside a last minute title winner away to Kilmarnock the following year.
There were plenty more highlights from Naka who brought a new level of professionalism to Celtic with his pre and post match routines that are now much more widely used.
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— Celtic FC Japan (@CelticFCJPN) October 18, 2022
TRANSLATE:
Thank you for all the excitement, Shunsuke Nakamura Celtic FC will once again express its gratitude for his many contributions after his last game at Yokohama FC on the 23rd of this month.
Celtic now have four Japanese players at the club, Nakamura set a very high bench mark on the pitch but his dedication, professionalism and all-round attitude seems to have been maintained by Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda.
Who will ever forget that free kick against Man Utd? Right into Van der Sar’s top corner.. Brilliant accuracy from the wee man, in a game that had us all on the edge of our seats until the final whistle. I think I cheered just as loudly for Boruc’s penalty save.
What a night – thanks for the memories Nakamura San.