Watch Celtic cult hero Shunsuke Nakamura reunite with Kieran Tierney - two decades on from gifting Scotland star his boots
The Celtic right-back revealed where he keeps his cherished gift after his memorable first exchange with the Japanese icon at Parkhead
Kieran Tierney has been reunited with legendary Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura at Lesser Hampden ahead of Scotland’s friendly clash with Japan - over 20 years on from their viral exchange.
Almost two decades have passed since Hoops academy prospect Tierney was gifted a pair of match-worn football boots by the Japanese icon at Parkhead after impressing him as a youngster in training.
The former attacking midfielder - known for his exceptional technical ability and world-class set-piece execution - is back in Glasgow this week to carry out punditry work for Japanese television as Samurai Blue prepare to face Steve Clarke’s men, with both nations keen to build some positive momentum towards the World Cup in the summer.
Nakamura watched Scotland’s final training session on Friday alongside the assembled media and the 47-year-old made sure to catch up with Tierney, who revealed after an emotional embrace that he still has the boots to this day.
Back when Nakamura was a key member of Gordon Strachan’s side, Tierney was chosen to meet the Asian superstar, along with a number of other academy players at the time before handing over a pair of adidas boots to none other than the current Celtic left-back, who struggled to contain his excitement at receiving such a gift.
Speaking via a translator while appearing on Japanese outlet U-NEXT, Nakamura commented: “The video of me giving you the boots went viral in my country and made me very happy.” Tierney replied: “Same here. I’ve still got the boots in my house.”
Nakamura then explained why he chose to single Tierney out and present him with the gift, adding: “You weren’t the best player on the day, but you were the most diligent and passionate player. That’s why I gave you them.”
That prompted Tierney to dig out the picture of the boots on his phone before responding: “I was very grateful when you gave me the boots. I felt so lucky and I was buzzing. I took them into school the next day and showed all my mates and stuff.”
Tierney recalls famous Celtic Park exchange with Nakamura
Speaking about the moment back in 2016, Tierney stated: “The 2010 World Cup was coming up that summer and Japan were going so we got asked to be in this video with him - I think it was the Under-12s or 13s - were doing a film. We were all buzzing to be training at Celtic Park and after the warm-up, Naka came out.
“We didn’t know anything about Nakamura coming to train with us. We saw him come out the tunnel and he joined in with us, doing passing and possession games. The experience of training with him was brilliant.
“At the end of the session we were all sitting in the dugout and he took his boots off, came over and handed them to me. All the boys got really excited.
“I was really delighted because he was one of my heroes at the time. I was 11 or 12 years old and I watched him week in, week out. For him to notice me and say I was a good player that day was brilliant.”
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