サー、中田英寿！（イタリアの勲章を受章）

Arise, Sir Nak!（This is lancashire）

以下は、地元紙を邦訳したものです（一部省略、意訳しています）。

１９４７年に設けられた章（The Order of the Star）で、イタリア人、外国人を問わず、顕著な活躍をした人に送られるものです。
中田英は、イタリア・フットボールのイメージ向上に貢献したとして受章するもので、外国人選手としては初めてのケースのようです。
１９９７年と９８年にアジア最優秀選手にも選ばれた中田英（２８）は、ペルージャを皮切りにイタリアで７年間プレーし、ローマでは２０００−２００１年のシーズンにスクデッドの栄冠にも輝いています。
監督のサム・アラーダイスも彼の受章を祝っています。イタリアで成功した中田英がプレミアで新しい挑戦をすることを賞賛し、イタリア同様のパフォーマンスを期待しています。ただ東欧遠征の２試合でほぼフル出場したことについては渋い顔をしています。

＃おまけ
欧州予選プレーオフ組み合わせ
　スペイン−スロバキア、スイス−トルコ、ノルウェイ−チェコ
　１１月１２日、１６日。左側の国が先にホームで戦います。

欧州予選のプレーオフの度に思うことだけど、各大陸でこぼれた国を集めて、プレーオフをすればいいのになと。たとえ地域に偏りが出ても、ＷＣのレベルが高い方が楽しめる。どうせカップ戦なのだから。

Arise, Sir Nak!Last posted: Friday 14 October 2005 14:39
HIDETOSHI Nakata is to receive one of Italy's highest honours.

Wanderers' Japanese midfield ace is to be made a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the nation's president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

News of the decoration came in a statement from the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome. The Order of the Star was originally created in 1947 to recognise the achievements of Italians and foreigners who played distinguished roles in the reconctruiction of post-war Italy.

Nakata, who attracts David Beckham-style attention in Japan, has been honoured in recognition of his work promoting the image of Italian football. He is believed to be the first foreign footballer to receive the award.

He played seven years in Serie A before his loan move from Fiorentina to the Reebok this summer.

The 28-year-old, who was voted Asian player of the year in 1997 and 1998, joined Perugia before moving to Roma, where he won the Scudetto (the Italian championship) in 2000-2001.

Despite the hero worship he commands in Japan, Nakata adjusted so well to life in Italy that he intends to make his home there when he eventually hangs up his football boots.

"I have become so accustomed to living in Italy that I feel more like I'm at home when I come back to Italy after being away, rather than when I go home to Japan for a visit," he said when he announced he was leaving Florence for Bolton.

"Problems with language are pretty much non-existent, and as well as being adjusted to the way of life, I have lots of friends. Basically, I have come to feel like I belong here, almost like I must have been born here."

Sam Allardyce congratulated Nakata on his award, praising him for having the character to leave the good life in Italy to put his talents to the test in the Premiership. "You can have nothing but admiration for a man who was comfortable in Italy but wanted to take on a new challenge," the Wanderers boss said.

"I just hope he makes the same contribution in the Premiership as he did when he was doing so well in Italy."

Allardyce, however, was not so pleased to hear that Nakata had been used in Japan's two friendly matches over the last six days - 86 minutes in the 2-2 draw in Latvia and 90 minutes in the 1-0 defeat in Ukraine. "I'm disappointed that he played in both games," he said. "We wanted him as fresh as possible for this weekend.

"It would have been nice if they'd been a bit more lenient with us and played him in just the one game."