Keito Nakamura: Great Japanese talent with big ambitions

Great footballers appear at a record pace 2017, the U17 World Cup in India. Japan lost to England after penalties in the group stage. England later defeated Spain with all its talented players, such as Jordann Sancho, who returned to Dortmund after the group stage and started playing at a high level. “I look up at Great Japanese talent with big ambitions Two and a half years after signing a professional contract with Gamba Osaka, 17-year-old Keito Nakamura came to Sint-Truiden via Twente. For Nakamura, who turns 20 on July 28, it is his third team for which he plays. Nakamura is a great Japanese football talent. “It was a good time in Osaka and Twente, but I now have to take steps to get better.” such a boy and it was sometimes frustrating to see that other boys are so successful in being among the best players in the world. In this football world, the great footballers appear at a record pace. Coach Yoshiro Moriyama was Japan’s three-year coach from U15 to U17. He made sure I never got into a crisis. And he did not just do that for me. He did it for all my teammates ”.

First professional contract

In December, two months after the tournament, Nakamura signed a professional contract with Gamba Osaka. He came over from Mitsubishi Yowa Youth. On March 18, he scored a point against Urawa Reds in the Levain Cup. Nakamura dribbled 60 meters long and eventually scored a great goal. During a year and a half, Nakamura gained valuable experiences not only in the J1 but also in J3 as a member of the U23 of Gamba Osaka. At that time, some people are important in Nakamura’s life. Hitoshi Morishita, the coach of Gamba Osaka U23, who advised him to ‘always allow your emotions and play with the instinct’ is one of them. “If you make a mistake and you look back at it in a negative way, it is a psychological mistake and you will make more mistakes. So it is important to always remain positive during the game. I think he gave me this advice because it suits my way of playing “.

Numerous offers from European clubs

Nakamura played an active role as a super sub during the U20 World Cup in Poland in 2019. Unfortunately, Nakamura was unable to score himself and Japan lost in the first round against South Korea. But his good performance throughout the tournament led to numerous offers from European clubs. Nakamura, who arrived at Twente at the end of July, started the competition without preparation. He immediately scored against PSV in the 8th minute, the opening game of the season. In the next game against Groningen, he scored with a free kick and received applause from the supporters of Twente. “I had little preparation and yet played in the opening game. I felt that I was not yet used to football in the Netherlands, but I could still bring my own game to the pitch.” As a precaution, the staff of Twente Nakamura kept some games at the side to boost his mental and physical readiness, a good move because he scored a great goal against Ajax on December 1. Nakamura got used to Dutch life and gets a lot of support from his teammates who took him out or took him to their home. The Spanish players also gave him tips: “You shouldn’t always dribble. Walk freely and we’ll get you to the best position.” AZ’s Yukinari Sugawara was a friend. On and along the field. “I played together with him from the U15 to the U20 near Gamba Osaka. We didn’t see each other much because Alkmaar and Enschede are still far apart, but it was encouraging to know that my friend had the same goal. His presence was great, even though he was not there ”.

Achieving results

Nakamura was dropped on the bench in the 39th minute of the game against Vitesse on 14 December. Nakamura then indicated to be depressed. But a day later he got up with a mindswitch and started training like he never did before. Despite his hard work, Nakamura barely played for the first team of Twente, but the second team competition brought relief. Coach Garcia greatly appreciated that Nakamura remained 200% committed and scored five goals in five games. After the season, Nakamura and Twente decided to terminate their contract. STVV immediately came to the rescue of Nakamura. CEO Takayuki Tateishi said, “I want Keito to get results and STVV can help him get the same results as Takehiro Tomiyasu (now Bologna), Daichi Kamada (now Frankfurt) and Wataru Endo (now Stuttgart).” “I was happy and grateful . I want to achieve my goals here at STVV ”, Nakamura promises. When we look at the past, we often see that Japanese players have to cross a certain limit to break through. For example, look at Keisuke Honda or Maya Yoshida. And so it was with the Japanese players of STVV. During his first season, Tomiyasu played just one minute and didn’t even hit the ball. Kamada lost his place in Frankfurt. Endo did not play at the World Cup in Russia and had to come out of his shell. Nakamura scored six goals (four league goals and two in the cup) for Twente. “I did score some goals, but during the second half of the season I played with the U23. I could blame others but I don’t. I had some things I had to sort out before I could reach my top level. During the corona period I worked hard and lost some body fat. I certainly did not see this period as a waste of time ”.

Olympic Games

If he plays an active role at STVV, Nakamura has the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I want to be part of that selection. If I can achieve my goals with this club, then the national coach cannot go past me.”