Nakamura, 28, has just been granted Singaporean citizenship after spending more than five years playing football in the island nation since 2019. He played for Albirex Niigata and Tampines Rovers.
Kiyoga Nakamura was once a bright talent of Japan and was called up to the U17 team of this country.
However, his career has been challenging domestically. Having come through the JEF United Chiba academy, Nakamura was loaned to J League 3 side YSCC Yokohama in 2015, where he made his professional debut in August of the same year at the age of 19.
Moving to Singapore in 2019, Nakamura had an outstanding season with 7 goals and 8 assists for Albirex Niigata. Recognizing his potential, Tampines Rovers recruited him in 2020, and since then he has rejected all offers from both Japan and Thailand to stick with Singaporean football.
Nakamura has played 111 games and scored 13 goals for Tampines Rovers. He will officially play for Singapore in the November FIFA Days friendlies against Myanmar (November 15) and Chinese Taipei (China) on November 19.
At the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Singapore will be in the same group as Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Timor Leste. The team from the Lion Island will compete for a semi-final ticket with opponents Thailand and Malaysia.
