Hidetoshi Nakata 中田 英寿 & Junichi Inamoto 稲本 潤 – Two Japanese 🇯🇵 Soccer Stars Who Once Shined

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1) Hidetoshi Nakata – Widely regarded as the best Japanese footballer in professional soccer history, Hidetoshi Nakata excelled at club level and national level alike. Nakata began his professional career in 1995 at the tender age of 18, with Bellmare Hiratsuka of the J1 League (top division of the Japanese Professional Football League). He helped Bellmare Hiratsuka club to their first Asian title in club history that year, by winning the 1995 Asian Cup Winner’s Cup. Due to his exceptional soccer prowess, he was eventually selected for the J-League Best XI squad in 1997. After the 1998 World Cup in France, Nakata was signed by Perugia in Italy’s Serie A for $4 million, becoming the second Japanese player ever to appear in the Italian top league after Kazuyoshi Miura had done it for Genoa four years earlier. In his first season in Italy, Nakata scored 10 goals, his highest single-season total.

In January 2000, after one and a half seasons at Perugia, Nakata transferred to A.S. Roma for $24.4 million (42 million Italian Lira), helping the team win the Scudetto (Serie A League title). The highlight of Nakata’s career at A.S. Roma came on May 6, 2001 in a Serie A match against Juventus at Stadio Delle Alpi. In the summer of 2001, Nakata signed a four-year deal with Parma for a transfer fee of $31.9 million (55 million Italian Lira); a record transfer fee for an Asian player which stood for another 14 years. In January 2004, Nakata joined Bologna where he played the remainder of the 2003–04 season before moving to Fiorentina, where he played the following season. In August 2005, Nakata was loaned to the Premier League (England) side Bolton Wanderers. During the last season of his professional career with Bolton, he scored once in a 2–0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Nakata represented the host nation Japan at the 1993 F.I.F.A. U-17 World Championship scoring a single goal, and scored twice for the Samurai Blue at the 1995 F.I.F.A. U-20 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, respectively. Nakata also featured as a crucial piece of the U-23 Japan squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A. (in which Japan upset the mighty Ronaldo-led Brazil), and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, respectively. Nakata represented Japan 77 times, tallying 11 goals; 9 of which came in official FIFA competitions. One interesting quirk about Nakata’s playing career was that he used to take pregame power naps, according to a May 30, 2018 C.N.N. online article titled “Hidetoshi Nakata reveals the secret to his success”. “I used to sleep, even in the locker (room)!” he told C.N.N. You can read the original article here.

Even though Nakata retired at a relatively premature 29 years old, he was able to excel at the highest level in highly-competitive top-division European soccer leagues, including representing his nation, Japan at multiple major international soccer competitions. Nakata’s playing style has been described by soccer analysts as quick, agile and creative with excellent vision and technical ability. To sum it all up, Hidetoshi Nakata will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest soccer talents to emerge from the Asian continent.

2) Junichi Inamoto – Regarded as one of the Far East’s greatest gift to professional soccer, Junichi Inamoto experienced moderate success during his lengthy soccer career. Inamoto’s playing style has been described by soccer analysts as tireless, hard-running and tough-tackling with an eye for goal. The pinnacle of his career perhaps occurred during the summer of 2001, when Inamoto was loaned to the Premier League (England) side Arsenal Gunners. Under the tutelage of the legendary former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, Inamoto’s spell with Arsenal was short-lived and counter-productive (Inamoto never played a game with Arsenal). Interestingly, Inamoto was the first Japanese player to ever don the Arsenal jersey.

Inamoto’s youth career highlights include playing with the J1 League’s (Japanese Professional Football League) Gamba Osaka between 1997 and 2004, making 100 appearances and scoring 14 goals. Then followed short spells with Premier League (England) sides Arsenal (on loan), Fulham (on loan), West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City (on loan), respectively. During his time playing in England (2001-2006), Inamoto amassed 83 appaearances and tallied four goals. Between 2001 and 2010, Inamoto had spells with Galatasaray (Turkish Super Lig), Eintracht Frankfurt (German Bundesliga) and Rennes (French Ligue 1), respectively. During his European club career outside of England, Inamoto made 73 appearances (0 goals).

Inamoto eventually resettled in the Land of the Rising Sun in 2010, playing with J1 League sides Kawasaki Frontale and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (135 total appearances and four goals), respectively. His stint with Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo terminated in 2018. As of publication of this article (June 2019), Inamoto presently plays with SC Sagamihara of the the J3 League (Japanese Professional Football League’s third division).

Inamoto was capped 83 times for Japan, including a selection for the 2002 F.I.F.A. World Cup (jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan). Notably, Inamoto scored two goals during the 2002 F.I.F.A. World Cup: in the opening 2-2 draw with Belgium and the lone goal in Japan’s win over Russia, 1-0 (Japan’s first World Cup victory), respectively. Inamoto represented Japan at the 1995 F.I.F.A. U-20 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, as well as at the 1999 F.I.F.A. U-20 World Championship in Nigeria (held at eight host cities), respectively. He made 11 appearances at the latter tournament, accumulating four goals. Nakata also played for the U-23 Japan squad between 1998 and 2000, including at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Between the 1998-2000 period, Inamoto made 15 appearances for Japan, bagging five goals. Between the 2000-2010 period, Inamoto scored a total of five goals as a member of the Japanese men’s national soccer team.

Below are some Hidetoshi Nakata career statistics:

Hidetoshi Nakata Profile and Fast Facts – 中田 英寿 – 🇯🇵

Hidetoshi Nakata Senior Career Statistics – 中田 英寿 – 🇯🇵

Hidetoshi Nakata Club Career Statistics – 中田 英寿 – 🇯🇵

Hidetoshi Nakata International Career Goals Statistics – 中田 英寿 – 🇯🇵

Below are some Junichi Inamoto career statistics:

Junichi Inamoto Profile and Fast Facts – 稲本 潤 – 🇯🇵

Junichi Inamoto Senior Career Statistics – 稲本 潤 – 🇯🇵

Junichi Inamoto Club Career Statistics – 稲本 潤 – 🇯🇵

Junichi Inamoto International Career Goals Statistics – 稲本 潤 – 🇯🇵

Hidetoshi Nakata Career Skills/Goals Highlights – 中田 英寿 – 🇯🇵

Junichi Inamoto Career Skills/Goals Highlights – 稲本 潤 – 🇯🇵

Published on: June 6, 2019

Sources: Wikipedia–https://www.en.wikipedia.org, C.N.N.–https://www.cnn.com, Revolvy–https://www.revolvy.com, F.I.F.A.–https://www.fifa.com, YouTube–https://www.youtube.com