26 Jun 2006(Mon)

Hannover, June 23, 2006 – Who would ever think Hide would “do a Gazza”?

Japan´s Ice Man, Hidetoshi Nakata, who rarely shows his emotions or feelings in public, went down in World Cup history alongside England´s Paul Gascoigne, and no doubt many other less famous players, who shed tears of anguish on their team´s exit.

Gascoigne did it in the 1990 semi-final against Germany in Italy. After being booked for a foul on Thomas Berthold, a yellow card meant he would miss the final, should England get there. Gazza´s tears started and would not stop.

The image of his team-mate, Gary Lineker, indicating to the bench Gazza was in distress will forever remain in my mind. As it happened, England lost the penalty shoot-out to Germany, and this prompted a second wave of Gazza tears.

The show of emotion, however, endeared him to the nation, and his life was never the same again.

And so to Hide, a player who has been accused of not caring enough, of being a businessman rather than a footballer, as he moves around Italy and then to England.

But Nakata´s act of despair, desolation even, after the final whistle against Brazil dispelled this theory for ever.

It was a poignant moment, seeing Nakata lay there on his back in the centre circle, long after his team-mates had walked over to thank the fans and then disappear into the changing rooms.

I must be honest and admit I feared for Nakata´s health, as he looked physically and emotionally drained.

Midway through the second half, with Brazil in control and Hide pushed more forward after the introduction of Koji Nakata, I recall seeing him struggling back to defend. Japan had attacked, lost the ball, and Nakata now tried to race back to help out the defence.

He reminded me of a “toy nodding dog” you see in the back of cars, as his strength was draining away and he was running on empty.

This match, this World Cup, meant so much to him, and the frustration of the early elimination, together with the fact that Japan could do nothing to stop Brazil running away with the game, proved too much.

Nakata does care, and always has done. It is just that he is different, something many Japanese cannot accept.

For all those cynics and doubters, he has served his country well, and deserves credit in the same way Gascoigne did when he returned to England a folk hero and a legend in 1990.

ends