As the North and Central America World Cup approaches, no one can ignore the impact of one figure when reflecting on the journey of Japanese football. A pioneer who fought on the world stage and reshaped the values of the Japan national team—Hidetoshi Nakata. Almost 20 years have passed since he retired immediately after the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In this special series, we revisit the path of “Hide” from multiple perspectives.
In the fifth and final installment, a reporter from *La Gazzetta dello Sport* looks back at the final years of Nakata’s time in Italy, when he gradually became a “less impactful player” partly due to friction with coaches.
After winning the Scudetto with Roma in June 2001, Nakata felt he no longer had a place there. Just as he had refused to join Juventus as a teenager, he believed that “playing is what matters.” With Roma signing another attacker, Antonio Cassano, after the title, Nakata sensed his situation would change. Despite repeated inquiries from AC Milan, they eventually signed Rui Costa, and Nakata moved to Parma for an estimated transfer fee of 55 billion lire (about 3.4 billion yen). “I didn’t play much last season, but I’ll get more opportunities here. Plus, I can live a quiet life in Parma. Rome could be chaotic,” Nakata said at the time, even accepting a salary cut to secure playing time and stability.
Parma coach Renzo Ulivieri praised Nakata’s work rate, saying, “He runs a lot, he’s my kind of player.” Nakata recorded the highest lung capacity in the team during preseason, but once the season started, he struggled to stand out. In the Champions League qualifiers against Lille—his only taste of the competition—he played the full 90 minutes in both legs as an attacking midfielder but left little mark as Parma lost 2–1 on aggregate.
Early league defeats led to three different coaches in one season. Parma finished 10th in Serie A but reached the Coppa Italia final. Nakata scored a stoppage-time away goal against his favorite opponent, Juventus, and later set up the only goal in the home leg from a corner, securing the title on away goals. “Luck seems to be on my side against Juventus,” he joked. That Coppa Italia remains Parma’s last major trophy.
After the 2002 World Cup in Japan, where he reached the round of 16, Nakata returned to a new Parma coach, Cesare Prandelli, who tried to fit him into a right-wing role. It didn’t work. “Right wing isn’t my position. It feels psychologically suffocating,” Nakata said. By January 2004, he sought a move. Chelsea, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Perugia showed interest, but he eventually joined Bologna on loan, lured by his former mentor from Perugia, Carlo Mazzone. Mazzone had previously coached Brescia, bringing out the best in veteran technicians like Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola, and Andrea Pirlo. He formed a similar bond with Nakata. “When I spoke with Mazzone on the phone, I immediately felt my mind ease. I trust him completely. I’m sorry to Parma fans that I couldn’t prove my worth. Even if I’m played out of position, the responsibility for my performance is mine,” Nakata revealed.
At the time, the newspaper I work for called Nakata “the best winter signing,” and 6,000 fans showed up for his first training session in Bologna, doubling traffic to his official website. But in the second half of the 2003–04 season, he made 17 appearances, scoring only two goals—including a direct free kick—falling short of expectations. Bologna didn’t sign him permanently, and Parma accepted an offer from Fiorentina, moving Nakata to the flower-filled city of Florence.
Though Nakata loved art and seemed a perfect fit for Florence, his season there became his most dismal in Italy. In the ninth matchday against Lecce, he recorded three assists, but beyond that, he contributed little. He lost playing time in the second half and finished the season without a goal. The team narrowly avoided relegation in 16th place, and fans made Nakata a scapegoat, even displaying a banner with the pun “Nakatastrofe”—a blend of “Nakata” and “catastrofe” (disaster).
By the summer of 2005, Nakata’s time in Italy ended. He moved on loan to Bolton Wanderers in England, then retired after the 2006 World Cup. In October 2005, the Italian government awarded him the Star of Italian Solidarity—one of the highest honors given to foreigners or Italians who leave the country—in recognition of his contribution to enhancing Italy’s image abroad.
Nakata has since continued traveling the world, visiting refugee camps in Africa and beyond, once saying: “If people traveled more widely, there would be less meaningless discrimination and prejudice.”
Hidetoshi Nakata left a big footprint in Italy. Though his story gradually faded in intensity, he would always be welcomed back with smiles. Except, perhaps, by Juventus fans.
