S-League All Stars v Albirex Niigata Singapore Selection
Jalan Besar Stadium (5pm)
SINGAPORE - He slipped in almost unnoticed among the Albirex Niigata Singapore Selection side at the Jalan Besar Stadium pitch on Friday afternoon.
Despite donning a different coloured shirt with "Take Action" printed across the front, photographers initially struggled to pick him out but it was not long before Hidetoshi Nakata's quality shone through.
The Japanese players were put through their paces in the searing heat on the artificial turf in what was their final training session ahead of Saturday's charity match against the S-League All-Stars (5pm) and former World Cup star Nakata was clearly the main attraction, even in the presence of Japanese football luminaries Masaaki Sawanobori and Masakiyo Maezono.
Pinging passes across the field, he stayed on the pitch after the training session, giving pointers to the Albirex youngsters, who stood in awe around him.
But Saturday's fixture will not be about football.
"I have to do something for my country. I'm not helping the (Japanese) people, I'm just connecting other people to do something good and I'm enjoying that," said Nakata, 34, after the two-hour session.
There were no airs about him as he barked instructions, or when he had to contend with crunching tackles - his focus clearly on his quake and tsunami-devastated homeland.
"I've been talking to different people in different countries, in Asia and around Europe. And I'll go wherever I can to help people to do something (for the people of Japan)," he said.
His fund-raising efforts include donation drives, auctions and a gala dinner on Thursday night. All tickets for the match have been sold out.
"That's really meaningful to me; it means so many people want to contribute and help this cause and the people of Japan. More than raising money, it is more important to get more people (behind the cause)," he said.
Albirex skipper Shimpei Sakurada, who will line up with Nakata in the middle of the park, said: "This match is a very special one, we're playing for the victims of the disaster in Japan and I'm just putting my feelings aside and my thoughts on them." Shamir Osman
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