Celtic icon Shunsuke Nakamura to join Japan's coaching staff at World Cup

[p]The former midfielder was known for his set-piece prowess and scored a memorable curling free-kick against Manchester United in the Champions League.[/p][p]The JFA said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nakamura-shunsuke/Ia9v3jIE/"]Nakamura[/a] would join coach Hajime Moriyasu's backroom staff for the World Cup, where [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]Japan[/a] have been drawn in Group F with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tunisia/QqZVYk95/"]Tunisia[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a].[/p][embed guid="687de2d4-c5ed-46c5-a12a-9f43506644ad" url="https://x.com/jfa_samuraiblue/status/2044707451782725835?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I gave a lot of thought to the impact my involvement might have at this crucial stage, with the World Cup finals just around the corner,"[/b] the 47-year-old said.[/p][p][b]"But after receiving a passionate and encouraging message from Moriyasu, I decided to accept."[/b][/p][p]Nakamura won 98 caps for Japan, scoring 24 goals, and played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.[/p][p]He joined [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celtic/QFKRRD8M/"]Celtic[/a] in 2005 from Italian side Reggina and went on to win three Scottish league titles during his four seasons in Glasgow.[/p][embed guid="b20ba50e-aaba-4dfb-a567-d7bd3ab3f283" url="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1672603230390370306?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]He retired in 2022 and became an assistant coach with Japanese side Yokohama FC.[/p][p][b]"I am committed to sharing the same vision as the Japan players as they compete on the world stage, and I will do everything to help them achieve their goals," [/b]said Nakamura.[/p]