Shōya Nakajima
中島 翔哉
Nakajima with Porto in 2019
Personal information
Full name Shoya Nakajima[1]
Date of birth (1994-08-23) 23 August 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger, second striker
Team information
Current team
 Urawa Red Diamonds
Number 10
Youth career
2004–2012 Tokyo Verdy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Tokyo Verdy 29 (6)
2014–2018 FC Tokyo 51 (6)
2014 → Kataller Toyama (loan) 28 (2)
2017–2018 → Portimonense (loan) 29 (10)
2018–2019 Portimonense 13 (5)
2019 Al-Duhail 7 (1)
2019–2022 Porto 20 (0)
2021 → Al Ain (loan) 2 (0)
2021–2022 → Portimonense (loan) 22 (1)
2022–2023 Antalyaspor 15 (0)
2023– Urawa Red Diamonds 3 (0)
International career‡
2011 Japan U17 2 (1)
2013 Japan U20 4 (3)
2014–2016 Japan U23 30 (19)
2018–2019 Japan 19 (5)
Medal record
Representing  Japan
AFC U-23 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2019

Shōya Nakajima (中島 翔哉, Nakajima Shōya, born 23 August 1994) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays for J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds and the Japan national team. Primarily a left winger, he has also played on the right flank and as a central second striker.

After starting his career with Tokyo Verdy of the J2 League and FC Tokyo of the J1 League, he spent several years in Portugal's Primeira Liga with Portimonense and Porto. He also had brief spells in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

He was part of the Japanese under-23 team at the 2016 Olympics. First capped at senior level in 2018, he was part of the Japan team at the 2019 Copa América.

Club career

Portimonense

On 27 August 2017, Nakajima moved abroad for the first time, signing a season-long loan with Portimonense of Portugal's Primeira Liga.[3] After scoring 10 goals and as many assists in 32 total matches for the team from the Algarve, he signed a permanent deal in May 2018.[4]

Al Duhail

In February 2019, Nakajima joined Qatar Stars League side Al Duhail[5] for a reported transfer fee of €35 million.[6] He played seven games for the eventual runners-up, and scored once in a 6–0 home win over Al Ahli on 28 February.[7]

Porto

On 5 July 2019, Porto announced an agreement with Al-Duhail for the acquisition of Nakajima's sports rights, in a €12 million transfer fee (50% of the player economic rights). He signed a five-year contract, keeping him contractually linked until 30 June 2024, with an €80 million release clause.[8][9]

Nakajima made his Porto debut on 13 August 2019 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round away to Krasnodar, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–2 loss that eliminated the team on the away goals rule.[10] He scored his first goal on 19 December 2019, the only one of a home win over Santa Clara in the fifth round of the Taça de Portugal, his 17th appearance.[11] On 16 January 2021, Nakajima joined Al Ain of the UAE Pro League on a six-month loan deal including an optional €40 million transfer clause.[12] After his time in the Middle East was ended by a tibia break, on 25 August that year he returned on loan to Portimonense for a season.[13]

Antalyaspor

Nakajima signed for Turkish club Antalyaspor in 2022. He made his debut on 18 September 2022 against Adana Demirspor, coming on the 59th minute only to be sent off in just 20 seconds after receiving a red card for a late sliding tackle.[14]

Urawa Red Diamonds

On 25 July 2023, J1 League side Urawa Red Diamonds announced the signing of Nakajima. The duration of the contract was undisclosed.[15]

International career

Youth level and under-23 career

Nakajima was first selected to represent the Japanese under-17 national team when he was called up to the Slovakia Cup, a friendly tournament in early May 2011 that served the purpose of preparing the squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.[16] A month later, he was in Mexico playing at the 2011 U-17 World Cup, where he appeared in two matches and scored one goal in a 3–2 loss against Brazil in the quarter-finals.[17][18] In August 2013, Nakajima was called for the Japanese under-20 national team[a] to participate in the L'Alcúdia International Football Tournament in Spain. The squad was eliminated in the group stage, and he scored in a 2–1 win against Argentina.[19][20]

In January 2014, Nakajima played for the Japanese under-23 national team[b] in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship. He appeared in all three matches of the group stage, scoring once against Iran and twice against Australia,[21][22][23] as the team reached the quarter-finals.[24] In September 2014, Nakajima was called for the 2014 Asian Games, scoring against Iraq and Nepal in the group stage.[25][26] The team reached the quarter-finals.[27][28]

In March 2015, he played two matches in the AFC U-23 Championship qualification and scored a double against Vietnam.[29][30] The team reached the first place of the group and was granted the qualification for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. In January 2016, he participated in the championship, scoring a double in the extra-time of the quarter-finals match against Iraq[31] and eventually won the competition with a 3–2 triumph against South Korea.[32] Nakajima was also crown the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.[33]

In August 2016, he was selected for the Japanese Olympic national team (under-23) that competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He played three matches and scored a goal against Colombia, while the team came third in the group stage.[34][35][36]

Senior career

On 15 March 2018, Nakajima was called by national manager Vahid Halilhodžić for upcoming matches against Mali and Ukraine.[37] Eight days later, he debuted and scored his first goal for Japan national team against Mali in a 1–1 draw.[38]

Hajime Moriyasu named Nakajima in the squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil, which Japan guest entered with a mainly under-23 team. He scored the opening goal against Ecuador in the last group game in Belo Horizonte, but the 1–1 draw eliminated the team.[39]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 August 2023[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[c] League cup[d] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tokyo Verdy 2012 J2 League 8 4 2 0 0 0 — 10 4
2013 J2 League 21 2 2 0 0 0 — 23 2
Total 29 6 4 0 0 0 — 33 6
Kataller Toyama (loan) 2014 J2 League 28 2 2 0 0 0 — 30 2
FC Tokyo 2014 J1 League 5 0 0 0 0 0 — 5 0
2015 J1 League 13 1 2 0 2 1 — 17 2
2016 J1 League 12 3 2 1 4 2 — 18 6
2017 J1 League 21 2 1 1 7 3 — 29 6
Total 51 6 5 2 13 6 — 69 14
Portimonense (loan) 2017–18 Primeira Liga 29 10 2 0 2 0 — 33 10
Portimonense 2018–19 Primeira Liga 13 5 0 0 1 0 — 14 5
Total 42 15 2 0 3 0 — 47 15
Al-Duhail 2018–19 Qatar Stars League 7 1 3 0 0 0 6[e] 1 16 2
Porto 2019–20 Primeira Liga 16 0 4 1 3 0 5[f] 0 28 1
2020–21 Primeira Liga 4 0 1 0 0 0 4[g] 0 9 0
Total 20 0 5 1 3 0 9 0 37 1
Al Ain (loan) 2020–21 UAE Pro League 2 0 — — 0 0 2 0
Portimonense (loan) 2021–22 Primeira Liga 22 1 3 1 0 0 — 25 2
Antalyaspor 2022–23 Süper Lig 15 0 1 0 — — 16 0
Urawa Red Diamonds 2023 J1 League 3 0 0 0 0 0 1[e] 0 4 0
Career total 219 31 25 4 19 6 16 1 279 42
  1. ^ The Japanese under-20 national team comprises the U-19 and U-20 youth categories.
  2. ^ The Japanese under-23 national team comprises the U-21, U-22 and U-23 youth categories.
  3. ^ Includes the Emperor's Cup, Taça de Portugal and Qatar Emir Cup
  4. ^ Includes the J.League Cup and Taça da Liga
  5. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Champions League
  6. ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 19 November 2019[41][42]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Japan 2018 6 2
2019 13 3
Total 19 5
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nakajima goal.
List of international goals scored by Shoya Nakajima[41][42]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 23 March 2018 Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium  Mali 1–1 1–1 Friendly
2 20 November 2018 Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Japan  Kyrgyzstan 4–0 4–0 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup
3 26 March 2019 Noevir Stadium Kobe, Kobe, Japan  Bolivia 1–0 1–0 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup
4 24 June 2019 Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Ecuador 1–0 1–1 2019 Copa América
5 10 September 2019 Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar  Myanmar 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Nakajima with FC Tokyo in 2015

Al-Duhail

Porto

Japan U23

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023™: List of Players: Urawa Reds" (PDF). FIFA. 6 December 2023. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Urawa Red Diamonds - Team Profile". Urawa Red Diamonds.
  3. ^ "Shoya NAKAJIMA moves to Portimonense on a loan deal". FC Tokyo. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Shoya Nakajima to complete full transfer from FC Tokyo to Portimonense". The Japan Times. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Shoya Nakajima Joins Al Duhail". duhailsc.com. 3 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Shoya Nakajima makes record move to Qatar's Al-Duhail". The Japan Times. 4 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Football: Shoya Nakajima scores first goal in Qatar". Kyodo News. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Comunicado – Futebol Clube do Porto, SAD" [Press Release – Futebol Clube do Porto, SAD] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Nakajima assina pelo FC Porto por cinco temporadas" [Nakajima signs for FC Porto for five seasons] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  10. ^ de Sousa, Guilherme (13 August 2019). "A noite de pesadelo no Dragão. Krasnodar deixa FC Porto fora da Liga dos Campeões" [Nightmare night in the Dragão. Krasnodar put FC Porto out of the Champions League] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  11. ^ Amaral Santos, Francisco (20 December 2019). "Chuva foi o protagonista indesejado: As notas do FC Porto-Santa Clara" [The rain was the unwanted protagonist: The notes on FC Porto-Santa Clara] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Oficial: Nakajima deixa FC Porto e reforça Al Ain" [Official: Nakajima leaves FC Porto and joins Al Ain]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Nakajima regressa ao Portimonense por empréstimo do FC Porto" [Nakajima returns to Portimonense on loan from FC Porto]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 25 August 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  14. ^ "WATCH: Worst debut ever? Japan star Nakajima sent off 20 seconds into Antalyaspor bow | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Shoya Nakajima complete transfer and join". Urawa Red Diamonds. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Japan U-17s to play in Slovakia Cup in May". Japan Football Association. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Matsumoto edge lifts Japan". FIFA. 18 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Seleção survive late scare to reach semis". FIFA. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Japan U-19 squad for Alcudia Int'l tourney named". JFA. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Japan U-19s out at group stage of Spanish tournament". JFA. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  21. ^ "AFC U-22 C'ship: Japan 3-3 Iran". Asian Football Confederation. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  22. ^ "AFC U-22 C'ship: Kuwait 0-0 Japan". Asian Football Confederation. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  23. ^ "AFC U-22 C'ship: Australia 0-4 Japan". Asian Football Confederation. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  24. ^ "AFC U-22 C'ship (QF): Iraq 1-0 Japan". Asian Football Confederation. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  25. ^ "Iraq stifles Japan at Asian Games". The Japan Times. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Japan U-21 cruise past Nepal, clinch knockout stage at 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014". JFA. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Japan U-21 keep second straight clean sheet in Palestine win, advance to quarter finals". JFA. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Japan Under-21 squad fall to South Korea, fail to retain Asiad title". JFA. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  29. ^ "Vietnam U23 vs Japan U23". WorldFootball. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  30. ^ "Japan U23 vs Malaysia U23". 31 March 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Nakajima lifts Japan in extra time". The Japan Times. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  32. ^ a b "On This Day: Japan's U23 triumph in Doha". Asian Football Confederation. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  33. ^ a b "Nakajima named AFC U23 Championship MVP". Asian Football Confederation. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  34. ^ "Etebo stars as Nigeria win nine-goal thriller". FIFA. 5 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Japan stay alive with Colombia fightback". FIFA. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  36. ^ "Japan see off Sweden in vain". FIFA. 11 August 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  37. ^ "Nakajima and Honda called-up for SAMURAI BLUE's Belgium Tour". JFA. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  38. ^ "Nakajima scores equaliser in his debut as SAMURAI BLUE draws with Mali". JFA. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Japan ousted after draw with Ecuador". The Japan Times. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  40. ^ Shoya Nakajima at Soccerway
  41. ^ a b "Shoya Nakajima". National Football Teams.
  42. ^ a b "中島 翔哉 (Shoya Nakajima)" (in Japanese). Japan National Football Team Database.
  43. ^ "Al Duhail crush Al Sadd 4-1 to retain Amir Cup". The Peninsula. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  44. ^ "Jonas e Rui Costa eleitos "Jogador do Mês"" [Jonas and Rui Costa elected "Player of the Month"] (in Portuguese). Liga Portugal. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  45. ^ "Melhores de setembro: Phellype e Shoya em destaque" [Best of September: Phellype and Shoya highlighted] (in Portuguese). Liga Portugal. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  46. ^ "Nakajima é o autor do Melhor Golo de Novembro" [Nakajima is the author of November's Best Goal] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  47. ^ "Golo de Nakajima é o melhor de Fevereiro" [Nakajima's goal is the best of February] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shoya Nakajima.
Urawa Red Diamonds – current squad
Japan squads
Categories