Known as Asia's David Beckham, Hidetoshi Nakata is known for his colourful hairdo, and models Calvin Klein underwear. A retired Japanese football player, he was one of the most famous Asian footballers of his generation.
Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year award in 1997 and 1998, the Scudetto with A.S. Roma in 2001, played for Japan in three FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998, 2002 and 2006) and played in the Olympics twice (1996 and 2000).
In 2005, he was made the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, one of Italy's highest honors, for improving the country's image overseas.
Nakata has also been involved in fashion, regularly attending runway shows and wearing designer clothing.
In March 2004, Pelé named Nakata in his FIFA 100, a list of the top living footballers at the time.
