Kawasaki Frontale MF Noritake Nakamura (40) announced on day 1 on the club’s official YouTube channel that he will be retiring from active duty for this season only. It was an electric shock announcement the day after he scored a 40-year-old birthday goal against Tokyo on October 31, but revealed that he had decided to retire at the age of 40 for five years. We plan to continue playing until the end of this season, with a maximum of 11 games remaining in the league and the Emperor’s Cup. Kawasaki F Hitoshi Nakamura, who became a symbol of the club in 18 years, set a goal of decorating the flower path with the club’s first double crown.

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Nakamura’s tension carried across the screen. When he appears in a suit and a stiff look, he announces his retirement. “I thought the day would come when I would say this word. I am relieved,” he finally loosened his cheeks.

I decided to retire at 40. I was 30 years old that I began to realize the draw. On his 35th birthday, he set 40 as the end point. The team, once said to be a silver collector, won the J League MVP at the age of 36, the first J championship at the age of 37, the consecutive championship at the age of 38, and the Cup. Levin at the age of 39. “I got the title like that, and gradually I saw the end point of finishing at 40,” he said, steadily advancing the stage for retirement.

Just before that, in November of last year, he underwent surgery for a left anterior cruciate ligament injury and a left knee lateral meniscus injury. On August 29, he returned to the game against Shimizu Spulse and scored a goal for 16 consecutive years with the power to seriously injure himself. At that time and in the FC Tokyo game, he shook the goal with his left foot with a scalpel. “I wanted to give him back a form that made me think, ‘Nakamura Kengo, I’m going to do it.’ I’ve worked hard for the past five years because I made up my mind for the end … After overcoming a serious injury in the final stages of active duty, he realized the aesthetics of the retreat, which he thought he could still do.

It’s been 18 years since Kawasaki F came to the door as a trainee in middle and high school. “They picked me up. They raised me from there. I had no option of transferring to another club in the country, and I decided to retire to the front at an early stage,” he said. After retiring, he will be involved in some way, saying, “I have no intention of leaving Frontale.” You can see the brave figure in up to 11 games. “I don’t want to lose a day and I want to have fun. I want to win the title with everyone.” Taking the nail off the first day of the 21st, with the two crowns of the league championship and the Emperor’s Cup as a souvenir. Nakamura challenges the final battle with his friends for the best scenario.[Takuya Hamamoto]

◆ Kengo Nakamura Born on October 31, 1980 (Showa 55) in the city of Kodaira, Tokyo. He joined Kawasaki F in 2003 after going through Kurume High School (currently Higashi Kurume General High School). He made his debut in the opening game of J2 the same year against San Fletche Hiroshima. Although he was an aggressive MF, he volunteered in 2004 at the suggestion of director Sekizuka at the time. He received the J League Best Eleven 8 times. The calculated number of J1 cards is 74 points in 463 games, which is the highest in the club’s history. He was first chosen to represent Japan in 2006 and participated in the 2010 South Africa World Cup Tournament. A total of 68 A-internationals, 6 goals. 175 cm, 66 kg. The family is a wife and a man and two women. My favorite word is “thank you, inspirational”. Blood type O.