1. Yuji Nakazawa is a Japanese former professional footballer who most notably played as a centre back for J1 League sides Tokyo Verdy and Yokohama F Marinos.
19 Facts About Yuji Nakazawa
1. 2.
Yuji Nakazawa was the formerly the captain of the Japan national team.
3.
Yuji Nakazawa's nickname is "The Bomber" because of his distinctive hairstyle and heading ability.
4.
Yuji Nakazawa started playing football for Yoshikawa Higashi Junior High School and Misato Technology High School, but attracted no scouts there.
5.
Yuji Nakazawa impressed the club enough to win a full professional contract the following year.
6.
Yuji Nakazawa scored his first league goal on 10 April 1999 against Nagoya Grampus Eight at Todoroki.
7.
Yuji Nakazawa was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the league in 2004.
8.
Yuji Nakazawa played more than 30 games every season from 2007 except 2010 season.
9.
Yuji Nakazawa played full time for 178 consecutive games from July 2013 to August 2018.
10.
Yuji Nakazawa played in Olympic qualifiers as well as the finals in Sydney.
11.
Yuji Nakazawa scored his first goal on 13 February 2000 in an Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore in Macau.
12.
Yuji Nakazawa was a member of the Japan team who won the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon.
13.
Yuji Nakazawa participated in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup finals.
14.
Yuji Nakazawa played in all the Japan matches and scored three goals, one of which was a stoppage time equaliser in the semi-final against Bahrain, and Japan went on to win the title again.
15.
Yuji Nakazawa played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany but the team failed to proceed to the knockout stage.
16.
Yuji Nakazawa played in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals but this time the team failed to defend the title and finished 4th in the tournament.
17.
On 14 February 2010, Yuji Nakazawa made his 100th appearance for the Japan national team against South Korea in the final match of the 2010 East Asian Football Championship at Tokyo National Stadium.
18.
Yuji Nakazawa becomes only the third Japanese player, following Masami Ihara and Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, to reach 100 caps for his country.
19.
On 30 May 2010, Yuji Nakazawa scored an own-goal in a friendly match against England to give England the lead; his defensive partner Marcus Tulio Tanaka had already scored an own goal to draw England level with Japan.