Nakazawa played more than 500 times for our CFG sister club between 2002 and 2018 and on more than 100 occasions for Japan.
Now 45, the former centre-back is one of the most revered players in the history of Japanese football.
He is using that status to spread the message about the J1 League’s popularity throughout Asia and further afield, and make the most of seeing Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners up close and personal.
HOW TO FOLLOW CITY’S 2023 ASIA TOUR
At an open training session at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo ahead of City’s sold-out meeting with the reigning champions of Japan on Sunday, the appreciation from local fans towards Nakazawa was clear to see.
Meanwhile, fans clamoured to have their shirts signed by their heroes in the current City squad.
Nakazawa hopes seeing Guardiola’s players in action will motivate the next generation of young Japanese footballers.
“It means a lot for Yokohama F. Marinos, the J1 League and Japanese football as a whole to have the European champions here this summer,” he said.
“Hopefully it will inspire many kids to play football when they see players that have won some of the biggest titles in the world. That can effect on Japanese football for a long time to come.
“In the regular J1 League season, people are not that excited about getting close to the players. They support their team very well at matches but seeing their passion at this training session shows the power of City and the ability of the players.”
Nakazawa’s career overlapped with Yokohama F. Marinos’ introduction into the City Football Group in 2014.
More about City’s Asia Tour 2023
36 at the time, the defender had been a key pillar of Japanese football for more than a decade at that point.
However, he believes working with City had a major impact on him and has helped F. Marinos become one of Japan’s leading clubs, winning two titles in the last four seasons.
He said: “When my club went into partnership with City I had already been a professional for a long time. I had played two World Cups and won titles in Japan, so I was very experienced.
“But I learnt a lot from City.
“In my last season I got injured and I remember YFM’s medical team speaking to City’s staff to find the best treatment for me. It was a really eye-opening experience to see how clubs like City work.”
In terms of Sunday’s game, Nakazawa hopes to see F. Marinos put in a strong performance against the Blues in what is our first outing since lifting the Champions League trophy last month.
“As a former F. Marinos player, I would love to see YFM play well against City and put on a show for the many fans that will be here,” he stated.
“My score prediction is a 3-3 draw with lots of chances and exciting football on show.”
WATCH OUR ASIA TOUR MATCHES ON CITY+ OR RECAST
CITY+ and Recast will exclusively show all pre-season tour games live in the UK.
The meeting with Yokohama F. Marinos on 23 July is available only for viewers in the UK, while fans in the UK and Germany can watch our Bayern Munich clash on 26 July.
We face Atletico Madrid on 30 July, with fans all over the world (except South Korea) able to watch the action.
CITY+ is also where you will find the entire catalogue of City Studios documentaries and vodcasts.
Watchable through our official website or app*, CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.
Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.
Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.
Alternatively, you can join us on Recast for a flexible, pay-per-view option on all the same exciting content found on CITY+.
Simply follow our official channel and pay for the matches, documentaries, full-match replays and vodcasts you want to see.
*Tour matches will not be available to watch on our TV app due to regional restrictions
