I was World Cup star along with Zinedine Zidane now I run alcohol and tea brands
Hidetoshi Nakata became a ‘sake master’ and launched his own alcohol brand after retiring aged 29. The former Japan midfielder hung up his boots following the 2006 World Cup after becoming a cult hero in Italy and England. GettyNakata was a poster boy for the 2002 World Cup before retiring aged 29[/caption] GettyThe former midfielder swapped football for a completely new career[/caption] Nakata made 182 Serie A appearances across spells with five clubs before ending his career on loan at Bolton. Explaining his decision to retire before turning 30, he told The Athletic: “I never had a dream to become a professional footballer, but somehow it happened and I played in World Cups and I went to Italy and England. “I played all the time for passion. I’m not a fan of football, I like to play football. That’s the reason I left, I had lost the passion. “If I didn’t have the passion, it was like I was lying to myself.” By 29, Nakata had already featured at three World Cups for Japan, starting in 1998, where he starred along with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. He even became a poster boy for the 2002 World Cup due to his popularity, with Japan and South Korea co-hosting the tournament. However, the Samurai Blue’s final group game against Brazil in 2006 would be the final match of Nakata’s career. After retiring, he found a passion for sake, the Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. Nakata visited over 450 sake breweries across Japan before becoming a ‘master of sake’ and establishing his own company in 2015. He revealed: “When I was living in Italy, in my spare time, I used to visit wineries in the country. GettyNakata ended his career with Bolton after winning two trophies in Italy[/caption] GettyThe Japan hero featured at three World Cups before becoming a ‘master of sake’[/caption] “So I started liking not only wine itself, but the people making the wines and the environment. “Then when I came back to Japan, thinking about Japanese culture, obviously it’s not about the wine. It’s sake, right? “So then I said, ‘OK, it’s unique, because sake is only made in Japan’. “And, at that time, the Japanese food scene was becoming known around the world, but no one knew about the sake, including myself, so I thought that was a great opportunity to know about Japanese sake because it’s also part of Japanese culture as well.” In 2015, Nakata founded the Japan Craft Sake Company as part of a growing business portfolio. He has paired the company with an app called Sakenomy as well as a tea business. GettyNakata swapped the football pitch for sake breweries and now has his own brand[/caption] The app is designed to help sake drinkers around the world discover more about the beverage. Nakata also regularly gives lectures to companies and government agencies, drawing on his experiences as a footballer. As a player, he won Serie A with Roma in 2001 before a Coppa Italia triumph with Parma the following year. His career also included spells with Perugia, Fiorentina, Bologna and Bolton, where he scored once in 32 appearances during his final season before retiring.
Hidetoshi Nakata became a ‘sake master’ and launched his own alcohol brand after retiring aged 29.
The former Japan midfielder hung up his boots following the 2006 World Cup after becoming a cult hero in Italy and England.
Nakata made 182 Serie A appearances across spells with five clubs before ending his career on loan at Bolton.
Explaining his decision to retire before turning 30, he told The Athletic: “I never had a dream to become a professional footballer, but somehow it happened and I played in World Cups and I went to Italy and England.
“I played all the time for passion. I’m not a fan of football, I like to play football. That’s the reason I left, I had lost the passion.
“If I didn’t have the passion, it was like I was lying to myself.”
By 29, Nakata had already featured at three World Cups for Japan, starting in 1998, where he starred along with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo.
He even became a poster boy for the 2002 World Cup due to his popularity, with Japan and South Korea co-hosting the tournament.
However, the Samurai Blue’s final group game against Brazil in 2006 would be the final match of Nakata’s career.
After retiring, he found a passion for sake, the Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.
Nakata visited over 450 sake breweries across Japan before becoming a ‘master of sake’ and establishing his own company in 2015.
He revealed: “When I was living in Italy, in my spare time, I used to visit wineries in the country.
“So I started liking not only wine itself, but the people making the wines and the environment.
“Then when I came back to Japan, thinking about Japanese culture, obviously it’s not about the wine. It’s sake, right?
“So then I said, ‘OK, it’s unique, because sake is only made in Japan’.
“And, at that time, the Japanese food scene was becoming known around the world, but no one knew about the sake, including myself, so I thought that was a great opportunity to know about Japanese sake because it’s also part of Japanese culture as well.”
In 2015, Nakata founded the Japan Craft Sake Company as part of a growing business portfolio.
He has paired the company with an app called Sakenomy as well as a tea business.
The app is designed to help sake drinkers around the world discover more about the beverage.
Nakata also regularly gives lectures to companies and government agencies, drawing on his experiences as a footballer.
As a player, he won Serie A with Roma in 2001 before a Coppa Italia triumph with Parma the following year.
His career also included spells with Perugia, Fiorentina, Bologna and Bolton, where he scored once in 32 appearances during his final season before retiring.
