Gordon Strachan has paid tribute to former Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura at the Japan legend’s retirement press conference. Strachan signed the playmaker from Reggina during his first season in charge at Parkhead in a £2.5 million deal in 2005.
Nakamura became a huge fans favourite during his time in the east end of Glasgow with a memorable free kick winner against Manchester United in the Champions League a standout moment during four years in which he won six trophies.
The 44-year-old - capped 98 times for his country - only recently retired after hanging up his boots following a spell with Yokohama FC and Strachan lavished praise on his former midfielder on a video shown at his farewell press conference.
Strachan said: “Good day everyone, and especially to Naka. Congratulations for an incredible career. A career I was lucky to be part of and I thank you very much for being part of that. A great player, in my opinion, makes people around them better or great. And Naka certainly did that with his time at Celtic.
“He made me a better manager. Thank you very much for your contribution to my career, everyone who played with you, Celtic Football Club and all the clubs you played with. It’s an honour, enjoy your retirement but please stay in the football game because you’ve got so much to offer. Good luck, best of luck to you and your family. Stay safe, stay healthy. “
On his next step, Nakamura said: “If you use your own criteria, you might not get the message across, or you might not get the best out of it. There may be times when I have to perform, but even at B level (coach licence), I was told, ‘you teach too much because you know the answers’ and I have to make myself aware of it. I still have to learn a lot of things. I try not to create an ideal image.”
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