A group of Celtic supporters have been discussing former midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura after @Stephen4_2 shared a post regarding the player on Twitter. He described him as ‘the greatest exponent of a free-kick you will ever see’ and many of his fellow supporters have had their say on the now 41-year-old in the replies.
Nakamura played 142 times for the Hoops, scoring 28 goals and providing 36 assists (via Transfermarkt.co.uk). He also had spells in Spain and Italy before returning to his native Japan, where he still plays today.
Here is what a sample of the Parkhead faithful have had to say regarding their former star.
Agreed on all counts. Magician. Born to play for @CelticFC
— Matt Corr (@Boola_vogue) May 5, 2020
the one v man u is still the best ever scored by a Celtic player.
— kingoh (@kingoh88) May 5, 2020
Have to admit.. when he first came I thought he was just a luxury..but then began to notice. He was hardly ever tackled because he knew were to find space when no one was near him. Could give him the ball anywhere and he would make use of it..
— BENNYBHOYBARDGOVAN (@CapuanoBenny) May 5, 2020
Absolutely loved him. In my top 3 since Henrik ??
— Ged Cairns (@GedCairns) May 5, 2020
Remarkable talent for creating space for himself too, so often he’d get the ball and he’d have that few yards that enabled him to turn and face the opposition goal quickly despite not having real pace.
— GWR (@gwr_67) May 6, 2020
Does Nakamura deserve legendary status amongst the Celtic fans?
Yes
No
Can’t remember him misplacing a pass either
— Michael Rennie (@locheemick) May 5, 2020
Best first touch I’ve ever seen
— James Patrick (@martyonerous) May 5, 2020
What do we think?
It’s clear from the above responses that these Celtic fans have fond memories of Nakamura’s time in Glasgow. He made 98 appearances for his country, scoring 24 goals (via Transfermarkt.co.uk) and is regarded as one of Japan’s greatest ever footballers. Although renowned for being a dead-ball specialist, in our view, Nakamura was so much more.