6 Jul 2006(Thu)

July 5, 2006 -- Well, I thought there was something not quite right about Hidetoshi Nakata at the end of the Brazil game.

His last game at the World Cup, definitely. His last game for Japan, possibly.

But never his last game as a professional.

Once again, though, Nakata has written his own rules and done his own thing, which is typical of the man and of his lifestyle.

He's never been one to follow the crowd, or to stand still. He's kept moving and kept challenging himself.

Now, fresh challenges lie ahead, off the pitch, and, just like he did on it, he has the talent to be a success.

Of all my memories of Nakata, dating back to 1994 when I first saw him play, for Japan's under-19s at the Asian Youth Championship in Jakarta, the one that is with me at the moment came during the Brazil game.

It was towards the end of the match, when Brazil had the three points safely in the bag. Japan broke down the left wing and Nakata made a run to the far post, hoping the ball would reach him.

It didn't -- and Nakata flopped to the floor, exasperated. He must have known, at that crushing moment, that this had been his last chance to score a goal, to feel the ecstacy when the ball makes the net bulge, the linesman's flag stays down and the referee is pointing back to the centre circle.

After the chance was gone, he dragged himself to his feet and began to run back into his own half, as Brazil were breaking quickly again and another goal looked possible. I watched Nakata closely, and he was absolutely exhausted. His head was bobbing from side to side and he was surviving purely on his instincts, as every ounce of energy had been spent.

What happened after the final whistle, of course, has been well documented. Watching him from the Media Seats in Dortmund, I was quite concerned about his well-being, as I am sure a few other people were, too, including Miyamoto and Adriano, both of whom went over to check he was okay.

I felt sure at this time that he had played his last match for Japan, and this was his "thank you" to the fans, and when he announced his retirement this week, it seemed to be a logical conclusion to those events in Dortmund.

I think he knew that his career would be all downhill from here, and he has never given the impression that he would like to prolong his career just for the sake of it, moving from club to club, at a lower and lower level, for another pay packet until his mid-30s.

He has a much bigger agenda than that, and I am sure he must be feeling a sense of relief right now rather than facing another uncertain close-season in Europe, wondering where he will be playing.

At the moment, this is my lingering memory of Nakata, but others, happier ones, will come back in the future.

ends