1. Masashi Nakayama, nicknamed "Gon" during his playing career, is a Japanese professional football manager and former player.
13 Facts About Masashi Nakayama
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Masashi Nakayama is currently head coach of J3 League club Azul Claro Numazu.
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Masashi Nakayama holds a record by scoring four hat-tricks in four successive J1 League games, from 15 to 29 April in 1998.
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Masashi Nakayama holds the record for top scorer in a single season, scoring 36 goals in 1998.
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At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Masashi Nakayama scored the only goal of the tournament and the first goal for the Japan national team in the history of the World Cup against Jamaica on 26 June 1998.
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Masashi Nakayama has scored 21 goals in 53 appearances for the Japan national team.
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Masashi Nakayama holds the world record fastest hat-trick at international level.
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Masashi Nakayama managed three goals in a 2000 Asian Cup qualification match against Brunei on 16 February 2000 in only three minutes and three seconds, beating the previous record of Englishman Willie Hall set in 1938 by 27 seconds.
9.
On 13 January 2020, Masashi Nakayama announced his retirement as a player at the age of 53.
10.
On 13 November 2022, Masashi Nakayama returned to J3 League club Azul Claro, where he was appointed manager.
11.
Masashi Nakayama married actress Tomoko Ikuta in 1996, and together they have a daughter.
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Masashi Nakayama portrayed himself on television, performing voice work for a guest role on the anime Hungry Heart: Wild Striker; a fictionalized version of himself appeared in the manga version of its sister series, Captain Tsubasa.
13.
Masashi Nakayama appeared on the front cover of the Japanese releases of Konami's Winning Eleven video game series in 2002 and 2003.