Shunsuke Nakamura is one of the greatest players in Celtic’s recent history.
Celtic defender Kieran Tierney has revealed on UEFA.com a memorable encounter with club legend Shunsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura is one of the greatest footballers in Celtic’s recent history, having featured for the Scottish giants from 2005 until 2009.
The former Japan international attacking midfielder was a key figure in the Hoops winning the Scottish Premier League title three times in a row between 2006 and 2008.
The 38-year-old, now on the books of Yokohama F. Marinos, won the Scottish Cup in 2007, and the Scottish League Cup in 2006 and 2009 with the Bhoys.
Tierney, who is 19 years of age and is one of the best young left-backs in the Scottish Premiership at the moment, has shared a memorable encounter with Nakamura.
“Shunsuke Nakamura was going to represent Japan [at the 2010 FIFA World Cup], and our team – I think the Under-12s or 13s – were doing a film,” Tierney told UEFA.com.
“We didn’t know anything about Nakamura coming to train with us. We saw Nakamura come out of the tunnel and he trained with us, doing passing and possession games.
“At the end of the session he took his boots off and I think everybody noticed it. And then he simply came over and handed them to me.
“He said through his translator that I was the best player that day, so I was really delighted about that.
“I was 11 or 12 years old and I watched him week in, week out. For him to notice me and say I was a good player that day was brilliant.”
Tierney is a very talented and promising young left-back and has already featured for the Scotland senior side.
The 19-year-old is still developing and growing as a footballer, but the signs are that he is destined for greatness.
Celtic are at the top of the Scottish Premiership table at the moment with 19 points from seven matches, four points clear of second-placed Aberdeen with a game in hand.
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