Not many players decide to retire in productive age. Perhaps Hidetoshi Nakata is the only player in this category. The player who plays as a midfielder hung shoes when he was 29 years old and has played in three World Cups. After retiring, the player nicknamed ‘David Beckham from Asia’ is in the business of sake, a typical Japanese drink.
Nakata claimed to stop because he no longer enjoyed soccer
The name Nakata is often associated with the popular Japanese manga, Captain Tsubasa. This is because he claimed that thanks to Yoichi Takahashi’s manga, his job as a soccer player became his choice when he was an adult. In fact, after a career in Europe, he was also known as the live version of Captain Tsubasa. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, United States, the man called Hide brought Captain Tsubasa’s manga everywhere. He is so deep in the character. Perhaps because of this influence he also decided to retire. “I play because I love him, but I lose a little enthusiasm for football. The people closest to me come to stop me, but I say: ‘Please break my contract. I don’t need more money, let me go’,” he said, like reported from CNN.
For a decade Nakata was the best Japanese player
International attention to Nakata began when the U-16 championship was held by FIFA in 1993. At that time he was only 16 years old. His performance was stunning until he was recalled to defend Japan in the FIFA U-20 championship two years later. Juventus also gave a chance for a trial. Despite not going well, he impressed again at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, United States, when Japan frustrated a Brazilian dream whose squad consisted of Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo.
After participating in the World Cup for the first time in 1998, Nakata’s career was increasingly promising. Serie A club, Perugia, wants his services. Then, began the adventure of Nakata on the blue continent. He moved to AS Roma in 2000 and won the Scudetto. A year later, Nakata moved to Parma. One of his crucial moments at Parma was when he scored one goal which made his team beat Juventus and win the Coppa Italia in 2002.
Like before, Nakata couldn’t last long at a club. Within one year he played for two different clubs: Bologna and Fiorentina. Then, in 2005, he ended his adventure in Italy to move to Bolton Wanderers in England. While in Italy and England, Nakata scored 32 goals in 262 appearances in all competitions. He helped defend Japan in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup. In the national team, Nakata appeared 77 times and bagged 11 goals. After the World Cup on his own land, he officially ended his career as a professional footballer.
He traveled throughout Japan and found love for sake
Nakata admitted that his decision to retire early was not easy, but he did not regret it. “I have to respect my own feelings. My decision has been in the past,” he said. After no longer grazing on the green field, Nakata tried to find something else he loved. One of the ways he traveled was to travel around Japan by car. He wanted to get to know his country, which he had left behind since he was a career abroad. From a personal trip that took seven years, Nakata found another love.
His dream is now completely unrelated to the work that made his name skyrocket. Nakata fell in love with a Japanese drink, sake. “Once I began to understand the culture behind sake and its industry, I understood the quality of sake and the people behind it. The history is behind it,” Nakata told CNBC.
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