Yuto - The Bow

For those of an earlier generation, Japan and football had one connection: the adventures of Captain Tsubasa, known as Oliver Hutton in the West, the fictional young striker who would go on to play in Brazil before moving to Europe. The cartoon became a reality with Hidetoshi Nakata, the distinctive and talented attacking midfielder who made his name with Perugia and won the Scudetto with Roma, paving the way for a wave of Japanese players in Serie A at the turn of the millennium. One of them even made his way to Milano, via Emilia-Romagna.

Yuto Nagatomo, the last Japanese player in the history of the Nerazzurri, and also the first, turns 40 today.