Kawasaki Frontale's "Kengo Nakamura": 301 days from serious injury he suffered at age 39 to his great comeback [Part 1]

At age 39, he suffered his first career-threatening injury

On August 29, 2020, a huge applause was sent from the stands of Todoroki Stadium, the home ground of J-League Kawasaki Frontale. Beyond that was Nakamura, whose comeback the supporters had been waiting for. Nakamura, who has been with Kawasaki Frontale for his entire life, overcame his first serious injury at the age of 39 and returned to the pitch for the first time in about 10 months, said, "The thing that made me happiest right now was being able to once again realize that this is the best place." The supporters were overjoyed at Nakamura's return, saying, "We've been waiting for him for a long time," "He's everyone's hero," and "He's like the history of the team." Such a beloved bandiera. Behind the smile Nakamura showed in his return match, there were many challenges he faced before getting to this point.

November 2, 2019, Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 30 match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Kawasaki Frontale was eight points behind the leaders with five games remaining, and could not afford to lose a single game in order to win their third consecutive championship. In the 64th minute, with a 1-0 lead, Nakamura, who had just turned 39 two days earlier, was hit by a nightmare.

When he cut the ball, aiming for the moment the opposing player trapped it, his left knee made contact and he collapsed to the pitch. Nakamura recalls the incident with a wry smile, saying, "I heard a cracking sound. It hurt so much that I knew I couldn't do it anymore, so I made the X sign for substitution myself. When I later looked back at the video, I saw that I had made the X sign about 18 times." He handed the one-point lead over to his teammates and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher. Four hours later, he was diagnosed with an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The big decision to get back on the pitch

The anterior cruciate ligament is located inside the knee joint and plays a role in supporting and stabilizing the knee. Although it is possible to live a normal life even with a torn ligament, there was no other way for Nakamura to continue playing soccer than through surgery. Even if he underwent reconstructive surgery, he would need nearly a year of rehabilitation to return to playing professionally. For the 39-year-old Nakamura, this was not an easy task.

The team doctor who checked his knee before the accurate diagnosis was made also pointed out the possibility of anterior cruciate ligament injury. "I was prepared to a certain extent from that point on. I was ice-cooling my knee and thinking about how I could return to the game," he said of his state of mind at the time.

Nakamura's injury came as a big shock to the supporters. Given his age, there was some concern that he might retire, but all they could do was pray that he would return to the pitch in good health. Teammates Kobayashi Yu and Tasaka Yusuke of JEF United Chiba, who had both suffered the same injury in the past, encouraged him, saying, "Don't worry, you'll definitely recover." Nakamura was saved by these words and decided to undergo knee surgery. On November 22, 20 days after the injury, the surgery, which lasted about two and a half hours, was a success.

As he continues his rehabilitation, his desire to return grows stronger

Rehabilitation began three days after the surgery. The muscles in his knee, which had been immobilized in a cast, had become stiff, making it difficult to even bend it slowly. However, six days after the surgery, he began practicing walking without crutches. "I had forgotten how much fun walking could be," he said with joy. As he steadily went through his rehabilitation, he also had a happy event. He was given permission to go out to watch a game at Todoroki Stadium.

On the 28th day since his injury, Nakamura appeared in front of the supporters for the first time since his injury, and a huge chant erupted. It was a moment when he once again felt that this was where he belonged. His Kawasaki Frontale teammates and staff presented him with a uniform with messages written on it. On this day, Nakamura received courage from many people and became determined to return to the pitch at Todoroki Stadium. Returning to his hospital room, Nakamura picked up next year's Kawasaki Frontale calendar and, looking at the August page on which he was featured, muttered, "I guess this is about the time I'll be back."

On December 6th, 34 days after his injury, Nakamura was released from the hospital. He will now begin full-scale rehabilitation to return as a soccer player. Nakamura spoke about his feelings at the time: "I wonder if I'm really okay. I don't know if a player in their 20s could recover from the same injury. But now I'm a 39-year-old player trying to return in the year I turn 40. What kind of performance will I be able to perform at that time? I'd like to say that age doesn't matter, but that's the one thing I don't know." From here on, a tough battle will continue for about nine months.

From DAZN's "12.14 Retirement Match: RESTART Kengo Nakamura - 301 Days Until Return - (Special Rebroadcast)"

*The information in this article has been edited and distributed based on the content at the time of broadcast.