Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, one of the most famous Asian players of his generation, has announced his retirement from professional football, his website said on Monday.
TOKYO: Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, one of the most famous Asian players of his generation, has announced his retirement from professional football, his website said on Monday.
"I will never go out onto the pitch again as a professional football player, but I will never give up football," said the 29-year-old Nakata, whose third World Cup ended in a 4-1 defeat to defending champions Brazil.
The two-time Asian Footballer of the Year was seen lying disconsolate on the pitch with a towel over his face after Japan's crashed out of the World Cup despite taking a 1-0 lead early on in their final Group F match.
"I had been determined since half a year ago that I would finish my career after the German World Cup and retire from the football world where I stayed for some 10 years," said Nakata.
"After the match against Brazil on June 22, which was my last game, I felt surely I love football. I was very moved, much more than I had expected.
"Coming into the World Cup, I thought the Japanese team had a lot of potential. Each player's individual skills are very good and fast. The only disappointment was that we couldn't play at 100 percent of our ability. I tried to lead my teammates in the past four years. I'm really sorry that the World Cup ended like this, but I know now that fans had understood what I've tried to do was right, for sure," added Nakata.
Japan's biggest export in world football, Nakata had made a welcome return to something like his best form for Italian side Parma before the 2002 World Cup on his home soil.
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