is a former Japanese

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player.

Playing career

Nakajima was born in

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

on August 20, 1977. After graduating from high school, he joined

Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership am ...

club

Brummel Sendai is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...

(later ''Vegalta Sendai'') in 1996. He played many matches as defensive midfielder from 1997 and the club was promoted to

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

from 1999. However his opportunity to play decreased and he could not play at all in the match from 2001. Although the club was promoted to

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

from 2002, he could not play at all in the match and he was released from the club end of 2002 season. In 2003, he moved to J1 club

JEF United Ichihara , full name and also known as , is a Japanese professional football club that plays in the J2 League. On 1 February 2005, the club changed its name from ''JEF United Ichihara'' to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as ...

(later ''JEF United Chiba''). He was appreciated by manager Ivica Osim and also played many matches as center back not only defensive midfielder. The club also won the champions

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and 2006 J.League Cup. Although he played many matches after Osim left the club in 2006, he could hardly play in the match since

Alex Miller Alex Miller (born 4 July 1949) is a Scottish football manager and former player. As a player, he had a 15-year career with Rangers, winning several trophies. As a manager, he won the 1991–92 Scottish League Cup with Hibernian. He subsequen ...

became new manager in May 2008. In 2009, he moved to

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the coun ...

. He became a regular player as defensive midfielder and center back. The club also won the 2nd place 2010 J.League Cup. From 2012, although he could not play many matches, the club won the champions

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and 2013 J1 League. He retired end of 2013 season.

Club statistics

Sanfrecce Hiroshima (November 25, 2013)
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References

External links

* * 1977 births Living people Association football people from Osaka Prefecture People from Sakai, Osaka Japanese footballers J1 League players J2 League players Japan Football League (1992–1998) players Vegalta Sendai players JEF United Chiba players Sanfrecce Hiroshima players Association football midfielders {{Japan-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub