© EuroFootball.com
One of the best known Japanese national team defenders in the world, Hidetoshi Nakata, announced the end of his career.
"Nakata announced his retirement on his website. This is not a mistake," his representative confirmed.
The 29-year-old footballer, who participated in three World Cups, was recognized as the best player in the previous month's World Cup match against the Croatian national team, which ended in a draw, but his performance was not enough for the Japanese team to advance to the next stage.
After the last Group H match against Brazil, which the Japanese lost 4-1, H.Nakata lay on the field for several minutes. Later, he cried in the locker room.
"This is the end of an era," said one Japanese fan on national television.
"This news did not surprise me," said Sam Allardyce, head coach of Bolton. "It's time to think about the future and he decided that the best solution is to hang up his boots."
"He will be remembered as the catalyst of Asian and Japanese football and the first Japanese player to play in Europe," added the coach.
Nakata began his career in 1995 with Hiratsuko's "Bellmare", and later, after his performance in the 1998 World Cup, he spent seven seasons in Italy. Initially with the "Perugia" club, he moved to "Roma" in 2000, with which he won the "Serie A" in 2001. He later played for "Parma", "Bologna" and "Fiorentina" teams. In the 2005-2006 season, he was loaned to the English club "Bolton."
