Celtic cult hero Shunsuke Nakamura rolled back the years to score a hat-trick of free-kicks in his retirement match.
Nakamura, who became a fan favourite during his four years at Parkhead from 2005-2009, hung up his boots last year at the age of 44. But he dusted them off for a farewell outing on Sunday (December 17).
He played 45 minutes for each side as Yokohama FC Friends took on a J-Dreams XI, getting on the scoresheet six times overall. And it comes as no surprise that three of them were set-pieces.
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The attacking midfielder regularly put his wand of a left foot to good use, including for Celtic against Manchester United when his free-kick earned them a historic Champions League victory back in the 2006/07 season.
Fans of his former side were ready to welcome him back with open arms after seeing he'd still got it. One joked: "Sign him up." Another argued: "Could still get a game with us." And a third echoed: "He’d still walk into the starting 11."
What's your favourite memory of Nakamura? Let us know in the comments section.
Even other supporters were in awe, with one asking: "Can he get out of retirement for at least half a season and sign for Leeds? I bet his free-kicks alone will get us up."
United fans, meanwhile, were glad to see the back of him. One wrote: "I will never forget the free-kick double he put past Edwin van der Sar. He had me angry at VDS for a while, I won't lie."
"He buried us in 2007 I’ll never forget," admitted a second, while a third said: "Streets won’t forget that performance vs United."
Nakamura also had spells in Italy and Spain, spending most of his career with Yokohama F. Marinos across two stints. He played for Jubilo Iwata and Yokohama FC in his home country too.
On the international stage, he scored 24 goals in 98 caps which included playing at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
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