The Japanese athlete, who was named one of ‘Teen People’s Sexiest Guys Ever,’ looks back on becoming one of Asia’s first superstar soccer players

(L-R) Hidetoshi Nakata in October 2024; David Beckham in May 2024. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty; Dominic Lipinski/Getty

In the 2000s, Hidetoshi Nakata was one of the hottest players in soccer, on and off the field.

Now retired, the Japanese soccer star, 47, was one of his country’s most promising players when he transferred to Italian team Perugia in 1998. Nakata was 19 years old when he moved to Europe to play in the competitive Italian soccer league Serie A. Over the next decade, he became one of the most popular players to come from an Asian country. With three nominations for the Ballon d’Or and sponsorships with brands like Nike and Calvin Klein, Nakata was a superstar at home and abroad.

Nakata’s marketability and impact on Japanese participation in soccer earned comparisons to David Beckham’s rise to fame in England. Looking back at his career for the 20th anniversary of Teen People’s Sexiest Guys Ever list, Nakata tells PEOPLE that he was well aware that fans likened him to Beckham, 49.

“But basically, I don’t really care about what people say, because what people say is not what I think,” the former midfielder says. “People can talk good about me and bad about me — whatever.”

Hidetoshi Nakata and David Beckham play a friendly between Manchester United and Parma FC in Amsterdam in 2002.Claudio Villa/Getty

The pair never met on the field for a professional match. However, their then-teams — Manchester United and Parma FC — played an exhibition in 2002, and the two have remained friendly over the years.

“Even today, when [David] comes to Japan, sometimes we meet up,” Nakata reveals. “The good thing about football is no border. Everybody can speak different languages, and we become friends.”

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Nakata doesn’t use social media today, as he doesn’t like seeing others talk about him, but he admits that when he was a young pro athlete, he was more “naive.”

“I was listening to what people say. I was under big pressure, and I was really struggling dealing with my feelings,” he reveals.

The athlete continues, “With the time, you know how to deal with pressure and emotion that you have. So I think I had enough experience to keep my mind in the peace.”

Hidetoshi Nakata attends the Louis Vuitton show on March 3, 2020, in Paris.Jacopo Raule/Getty

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The attention remained on him until his early retirement at age 29, cutting his contract with Italian club Fiorentina short. He stepped away from the soccer world but remained involved in fashion and launched a line of sake, the Japan Craft Sake Company.

When asked if he misses competing on the field, Nakata says, “Well, if I say no, maybe that’s lie. But I have a different type of passion and emotion today. And I’m kind of a person [who] never looks back. Always, I look forward.”