The transfer of Hidetoshi Nakata and Perugia came when few Asian players had broken into European football.
Some stars came before Nakata and achieved success in Europe’s elite leagues. The likes of South Korean Cha Bum-kun rose to fame in the Bundesliga in the 1980s. Nakata’s compatriot Kazuyoshi Miura was also the first Japanese player to feature in Serie A. But his one-year loan spell at Genoa was much more understated compared to Nakata and Perugia.
Ultimately, Nakata was the player capable of bucking the trend of a few East Asian footballers making it in Europe. His elegant control, expert vision, and ability to dictate the play was a perfect match for the European way of playing football.
Moreover, the Japanese star had the profile, the swagger, and the confidence to make things work in Europe. He was revered in Japan for his fashion choices and his footballing ability, which brought endearing eyes from his native Tokyo to Umbria.
Nakata and Perugia: An Unknown Move for the Grifoni
In the 1990s, European clubs knew less about football in Eastern Asia compared to today. Scouting networks were less complex, and the only real insight into how players from these nations performed came in international competitions.
Nakata put his name on the map with a stellar World Cup 1998 qualifying campaign with Japan. He scored twice in the group stages before a man-of-the-match performance in the Asian region play-offs against Iran helped send Japan to the finals in France. Nakata assisted the opening goal before his side conceded twice. But, with Japan facing elimination, Nakata set up Shoji Jo to score with 15 minutes remaining and the Samurai Blue eventually won after extra time.
In the 1998 World Cup finals, Japan struggled. They were knocked out at the group stages without earning a point. Yet Nakata was a central figure and provided a rare bright spark with his front-foot play and creativity.
Ultimately, the young Japanese star impressed enough that clubs from around Europe were willing to sign him. Perugia struck first and took a big risk on an unproven player. Rather than offering a low fee, Perugia decided that Nakata was worth breaking their transfer record for. The Grifoni spent $4 million to land the midfielder from J-League side Bellmare Hiratsuka.
The offer was too good for Bellmare Hiratsuka to refuse. Soon after the 1998 World Cup, Nakata found himself heading to Umbria.
Nakata’s Footballing Brilliance
Perugia’s $4 million transfer fee would have seemed outrageous to onlookers at the time. It was a risky move and Nakata simply had to perform to avoid a financial catastrophe for a side just promoted to Serie A for the 1998/99 season.
Thankfully for the Grifoni’s hierarchy and manager Ilario Castagner, the move was successful
Nakata immediately showcased his potential on his debut – a tough home fixture against Italian giants Juventus. At half time, Perugia were 3-0 down and facing a humiliating opening-day defeat. But Nakata came out after half time and took the game by the horns and struck two goals in seven minutes to try and spark a comeback. Although Perugia went on to lose the game 4-3, the Grifoni faithful, and the whole of Serie A, knew Nakata was a serious player.
It didn’t take long for Nakata to emerge as Perugia’s main man. In a challenging campaign, he was also the club’s main hope of avoiding relegation from Serie A. During the campaign, Nakata scored vital goals in matches against Perugia’s relegation rivals Vicenza and Piacenza. But the Japanese playmaker also stood out for his vision by setting up four goals throughout the season.
The young star also had a knack for stepping up against the bigger sides in Italy’s top-flight. Nakata hit the net against the likes of Lazio, Udinese, Milan, and Fiorentina – goals which eventually raised his stock in the league.
Nakata ended the 1998/99 season as Perugia’s top goalscorer with ten goals. The return was huge for Perugia too as it helped the club to finish 14th in Serie A and to avoid relegation.
Publicity for Nakata and Perguia
Even though Nakata was a top-quality addition to Perugia on the pitch, he was also exceedingly popular off it. But it wasn’t necessarily the Perugian faithful supporting their man as spectators and adoring fans from Japan were flocking to Umbria to get a glimpse of the national hero.
In Nakata’s first game against Juventus, around 5,000 Japanese tourists came to Stadio Renato Curi to watch his debut. Perhaps it was this level of support that inspired Nakata to put in an all-action second-half performance on his Serie A debut.
But the fanfare didn’t stop after just one game. Throughout Nakata’s spell with Perugia, an average of 3,000 Japanese fans attended the Grifoni’s home matches. In addition, the club reportedly sold around 70,000 of Nakata’s number seven shirts in his first season.
For Perugia, Nakata was providing global marketing, and promotion and bringing the team to the front pages. In some way, the revenue from growing spectatorship from Japan went some way to recouping the $4 million transfer fee.
After two years in Umbria, Nakata consistently showed his class footballing ability too. He also showed he had the mentality to cope with potential scrutiny as Grifoni’s most expensive player and that he could deal with the pressure of publicity.
Nakata was a complete footballing package. A modern player on and off the pitch. Unsurprisingly, such attributes were admired by the eyes of Italy’s footballing elite.
Nakata and Perugia: The Making of a Serie A Stalwart
Nakata’s two-year spell with Perugia concluded after he moved to Roma in 2000 for around $22 million. The fee was a testament to how good Nakata was on the pitch. He continued to impress with six goals and nine assists in all competitions in the 2000/01 season. Moreover, he was a key figure for the Roma side that won the Scudetto in 2001.
In the following season, Parma produced a whopping transfer fee for Nakata. Parma paid nearly $29 million to sign the midfielder as part of the club’s spending spree to bring in the biggest names in Italian football. For 15 years, it was the highest transfer fee paid for an Asian player in world football.
Once again, Nakata achieved success and won the Coppa Italia with Parma in 2002. After three seasons in Parma, Nakata had loan spells with Bologna and Fiorentina. Eventually, he finished his career with Bolton in the English Premier League at the age of just 29.
If Perugia didn’t take the leap of faith with Nakata, he may never have been able to showcase his talents in Italy. The move gave Nakata a platform to play and the freedom to perform in his style, which paid off for the Grifoni.
The transfer also launched Nakata’s long-term career in Italy. But it also inspired other European clubs to look for footballing talent in East Asia throughout the 2000s and into the modern day. Players like Shunsuke Nakamura and Yuto Nagatomo, just to name a few, have since followed in Nakata’s footsteps and performed in Serie A.