When newly promoted Perugia splashed out approximately £3 million for Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata this summer there were many willing to speculate that this was money down the drain. There were even those who quipped that, if the midfield star had not dyed his hair red during this summer's World Cup finals in France, no one would have paid much attention to his performances during Japan's fleeting first-round appearances.
So far at least, Perugia have had the last laugh and not just because Nakata has scored three goals (two against Juventus and one against Lazio) in only three Serie A games. No, the point about Nakata is that, no matter how he fares in the difficult circumstances of playing for a Serie A relegation battler, he has already proved himself to be a little goldmine.
The name Nakata may not mean much at Milanello or Old Trafford but it means a great deal in Japan where Nakata is a national idol. His Italian adventure has provoked huge interest in his native land - as witnessed by the order of half a million Perugia team shirts, complete with name and his number seven. Club spokesman Alberto Di Chiara, the former Parma left back, told The Irish Times last week that the Nakata shirt deal will generate approximately £11 million, much of which will go directly into the coffers of Perugia since Galex, the sportswear brand worn by the club, is owned by the club's owner-president Luciano Gaucci.
The Nakata deal is a genuine money-spinner, even if the lad never as much as punches his way through a rain-soaked Corriere Dello Sport, let alone a Serie A defence. Those pundits who scoffed at the purchase of Nakata merely revealed an ignorance of the commercial realities of soccer today.
The interest in Nakata shirts goes hand in hand with a massive Japanese media interest in his performances in Italy. Not only are all Perugia's Serie A games beamed out live to Japan but even a mid-August training game against amateur side Norcia was deemed worthy of live coverage. Furthermore, approximately 100 reporters and photo-reporters turned up for that training match.
Tour operators, too, have embraced Nakata with open arms since a Sunday excursion to see Nakata play for Perugia now features as an attractive option on Japanese package holidays to Rome. (Perugia is a two-hour drive north from the Italian capital). Some 5,000 Japanese fans saw Nakata make his Serie A debut for the club in a 3-4 home defeat by Juventus, while an estimated average of 3,000 have already booked for the rest of Perugia's home games. Little wonder, too, that Umbrian tour operators have named Nakata an "ambassador" for the region.
Dulcis in fundo, however, is the intriguing discovery that Nakata seems poised to deliver on the promise of his fleeting, red-haired World Cup performances. Perugia may well make a profit not only merchandising Nakata but also selling him since by next summer they could also have a talented Serie A midfielder to put on the market.
After Nakata had scored Perugia's second goal in a 2-2 home draw with multi-national, superstar-packed Lazio on Sunday, sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport commented: "The best player in the Perugia team, he can play and he can set things up for those around him. Intelligent and hardworking . . . Those of us who expected a bit-part actor have instead found themselves dealing with a genuine Samurai."
