4. Shunsuke Nakamura
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A dead-ball specialist and midfield playmaker, Nakamura is famous for his terrific volleys and is one of Asia’s most successful players in Europe. He started his European stint with Italian club Reggina; despite scoring some timely goals, his time there was hampered by injuries.
It is with Scottish club Celtic that Nakamura achieved the pinnacle of glory. He won three successive league titles from 2006-2008 and also made the Scottish Cup and Super Cup his own. He earned numerous accolades in 2007 - ‘Player of the Year’ at team and league level, the Scottish Football Writers' Association ‘Footballer of the Year’ and also Fans’ Player of the year. Most importantly, he became the first Japanese player to score in the UCL and also went on to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Nakamura represented Japan at several international tournaments and scored important goals to help the team win the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004. He was named ‘Most Valuable Player’ for his performances in the 2004 Asian Cup. The midfield marshal made up for the disappointment of being left out of the national squad for the 2002 World Cup by raising his game a notch and helped Japan qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
