Yuta Nakayama (中山 雄太, Nakayama Yūta, born 16 February 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for J1 League club Machida Zelvia[1][2] and the Japan national team.

Yuta Nakayama
中山 雄太
Personal information
Full name Yuta Nakayama
Date of birth (1997-02-16) 16 February 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki, Japan
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
Machida Zelvia
Number 19
Youth career
2011–2014 Kashiwa Reysol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Kashiwa Reysol 76 (6)
2015J. League U-22 (loan) 12 (0)
2019–2022 PEC Zwolle 79 (5)
2022–2024 Huddersfield Town 37 (2)
2024– Machida Zelvia 0 (0)
International career
2015–2017 Japan U-20 30 (0)
2018–2021 Japan U-23 18 (4)
2019– Japan 22 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Japan
AFC U-19 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Bahrain
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:24, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Kashiwa Reysol

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Nakayama was born in Ibaraki, Japan. He made his official debut for Kashiwa Reysol in the J. League Division 1, AFC Champions League on 6 May 2015 against the Vietnam-based club Binh Duong F.C in Go Dau Stadium in Thu Dau Mot, Vietnam. He started and played the full match, receiving a yellow card in the 83rd minute. Nakayama and his club lost the match 1–0.[3]

In 2017, Nakayama was named J.League Rookie of the Year.[4]

PEC Zwolle

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On 15 January 2019, Nakayama joined Eredivisie team PEC Zwolle on a three-and-a-half-year deal.[5] He made his debut for Zwolle on 31 March 2019, in a 3–0 home victory over FC Emmen.[6] He scored his first goal in the Netherlands, on 17 January 2020, in a 3–3 draw against Utrecht.[7]

Huddersfield Town

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On 15 July 2022, following PEC Zwolle's relegation from the Eredivisie, Nakayama joined EFL Championship club Huddersfield Town on a two-year deal.[8] Nakayama scored his first goal in England in his third appearance for Huddersfield, a 3–1 victory over Stoke City on 13 August 2022.[9]

International career

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In May 2017, Nakayama was elected Japan U-20 national team for 2017 U-20 World Cup. At this tournament, he played full time in all four matches as center back.

He made his Japan national team debut on 17 June 2019 in the 2019 Copa América game against Chile, as a starter.[10]

Nakayama was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but he was forced to withdraw from the official squad list, due to an achilles injury.[11]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 5 May 2024[12][13][14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kashiwa Reysol 2015 J1 League 1 0 0 0 1 0 2[a] 0 4 0
2016 J1 League 26 2 2 0 4 0 32 2
2017 J1 League 30 1 4 0 4 0 38 1
2018 J1 League 19 3 0 0 2 0 4[a] 0 25 3
Total 76 6 6 0 11 0 6 0 0 0 99 6
J.League U-22 Selection (loan) 2015 J3 League 12 0 12 0
PEC Zwolle 2018–19 Eredivisie 4 0 0 0 4 0
2019–20 Eredivisie 14 2 1 0 15 2
2020–21 Eredivisie 32 2 1 0 33 2
2021–22 Eredivisie 29 1 3 1 32 2
Total 79 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 6
Huddersfield Town 2022–23 Championship 14 2 0 0 1 0 15 2
2023–24 Championship 23 0 0 0 1 0 24 0
Total 37 2 0 0 2 0 39 2
Total 199 13 11 1 13 0 6 0 0 0 229 14
  1. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Champions League

International

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As of match played 31 January 2024[15]
National team Year Apps Goals
Japan 2019 1 0
2020 4 0
2021 4 0
2022 8 0
2023 3 0
2024 2 0
Total 22 0

Honors

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Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Yuta Nakayama - Profile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  2. ^ Yūta Nakayama at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ "BINH DUONG VS. KASHIWA REYSOL 1 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Jリーグ 歴代のMVP・ベストイレブン・得点王・ベストヤングプレーヤー賞". ULTRAZONE (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Yuta Nakayama nieuwe aanwinst PEC Zwolle". PEC Zwolle (in Dutch). 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Pec Zwolle vs. Emmen". FOX Sports. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  7. ^ "PEC Zwolle vs. Utrecht - 17 January 2020 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  8. ^ "SIGNING: JAPAN INTERNATIONAL YUTA NAKAYAMA JOINS!". Huddersfield Town AFC. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ Wobschall, Leon (13 August 2022). "Nakayama is Huddersfield Town's Japanese boy as hosts have lift-off with win". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Japan v Chile game report". CONMEBOL. 17 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Yuta Nakayama: Huddersfield defender to miss World Cup after being ruled out for season". BBC Sport. 3 November 2022.
  12. ^ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 32 out of 289)
  13. ^ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)", 8 February 2017, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411420 (p. 64 out of 289)
  14. ^ "Japan - Y. Nakayama". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  15. ^ Yūta Nakayama at National-Football-Teams.com  
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