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At 17, Keito Nakamura was hailed as one of Japan's brightest prospects. Nearly a decade on, the striker plies his trade in France's second tier, though a promising move seems inevitable. For this episode of ourHidden Gems, we tell the story of the highly regarded Nakamura.
As Japan stole our hearts again during this edition of the World Cup, a painful defeat to Brazil ended their run much sooner than they had hoped. Players stood on the pitch crying, thanking the Japanese supporters, and an emotional speech of head coach Hajime Moriyasu grabbed much attention online.
The Japanese didn't deserve to go home so early, but the brutal draw that both the Netherlands (Morocco) and Japan (Brazil) were set up with beforehand, forced both teams to leave the United States in the round of 32.
When Japan faced the Dutch in the group stage of the World Cup, one Japanese player stood out: Nakamura. The winger was one of Japan's best performers and caught Bart Verbruggen off guard with a near-post shot. Thanks in part to Nakamura's goal, the match ended in a 2–2 draw.
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Keito Nakamura celebrates his goal against the Dutch national team
The goal is illustrative of his playing style: a dribble on the left, a cut inside, shifting onto his right foot, and then striking the ball ferociously. His technique is sound, honed through relentless practice since childhood, as shown in footage broadcast by the Japanese programme NHK NEWS Ohayo Nippon.
The programme shows a heart-warming home video of Nakamura, whose mother is repeatedly throwing ping-pong balls at him. It is the young footballer's job to skillfully pluck the ball out of the air, time and time again. "Honestly, that turned out to be an incredibly good exercise for hitting the ball right in the sweet spot," the striker says of that drill. "To be honest, I noticed that my volleys improved enormously as a result."
His parents generally did everything they could to nurture his pro football ambitions. When he was about seven, he whined until they agreed to take him to Brazil. "As a child, I wanted to go to Brazil so badly that I begged my parents, and they took me there," he told TV Asahi.
Why Brazil? The answer seems obvious. "I was a huge fan of Ronaldinho and enchanted by Brazilian football. I wanted to experience it at the source and play with the local kids."
So he did just that: Joga Bonito in the streets of Brazil. "Most days I didn't play alone. There was always someone to play with. I wanted to experience that Brazilian style of dribbling, that world-class way of playing football."
"I truly believed everyone in Brazil lived for football. On the way home, at the airport, I had my ball with me, so I started juggling it. Security guards and staff immediately gathered, saying, 'Hey, can we join?' Before I knew it, five or six of us were juggling together."
"Looking back, I realise how unusual that was. They just move instinctively, doing whatever feels natural in the moment. As a child, I learned a lot from that style of play," Nakamura says.
When Brazil, of all teams, knocked him and his teammates out of the recent World Cup, the emotions got the better of him. But with a goal and an assist in this tournament—and, frankly, some very good performances in general—Nakamura has certainly proven his quality. Now 26, he is stuck in France's second tier with Stade Reims. And that is quite strange, for a player his level.
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Nakamura is one of Stade Reims' key players
He has started preparations for his fourth season with the club and his second consecutive campaign in Ligue 2, though reports suggest he may leave within the next month. It's hard imagining him not to.
Nakamura began his career in the youth setup at Mitsubishi Yowa SC before Gamba Osaka signed him at 17, and he quickly made his first-team debut. That rapid ascent reflected his status as one of Japan's brightest young talents, a reputation burnished by his four-goal haul at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup.
Brief spelles at Dutch side FC Twente and Belgian side Sint-Truiden proved the young Japanese still had to settle in a completely different world. It was only at his third European club, LASK Linz, that he hit his stride. In the Austrian Bundesliga and the Conference League, the winger scored 23 goals and provided 5 assists in just 59 appearances.
That form earned him a move to France, Stade Reims, then still in the top flight. Over three seasons he established himself as the club's key player. During the 2024/25 relegation campaign, the Japanese forward was the sole bright spot: his eleven goals and two assists accounted for more than a third of Reims's 33 league goals.
Despite his efforts, Reims lost the relegation play-off to Metz and were demoted to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. In the second tier, however, he again proved decisive, contributing 14 goals and 3 assists from the clubs total of 53 goals.
His form has attracted interest from higher-profile leagues, obviously. Olympique Marseille are among the clubs chasing the elegant winger, while Everton, Bournemouth and Fulham are also monitoring his situation, especially after his World Cup run.
Kaoru Mitoma, the skillful Brighton winger, missed the World Cup due to injury. Nakamura, regarded in Asia as one of the worlds most handsome football players, stepped in his place and delivered.
Now, we might just see both Japanese forwards tearing up the Premier League next season.