Position: Midfielder
Born: 24.06.78
Club: Celtic

Shunsuke Nakamura is the creative inspiration in the Japan side and will need to be on top of his game if they are to progress beyond the second round stage for the first time in their history.

The former Yokohama F Marinos star has come a long way since his country hosted the 2002 tournament. Nakamura was dropped by then Blues boss Philippe Troussier shortly before the big event and had to watch from the sidelines as Japan was gripped by football fever.

However, he showed enormous character to bounce back from the disappointment and went on to further his career in Europe, where he made an immediate impact at Reggina, scoring seven goals in 31 appearances to keep the newly-promoted club in Serie A.

A starring role at the AFC Asian Cup followed in 2004 and he remained a regular at Reggina before joining Celtic for £2.5million last summer.

Playing in the SPL has certainly improved the physical side of Nakamura's game and he is now proving to be one of Scotland's biggest draws in a league lacking flair players.

Nakamura, who will turn 28 during the tournament, will be in charge of many of Japan's set-pieces in Germany and almost certainly at the heart of their best attacks.