For all his 37 international appearances and iconic status as Kawasaki Frontale's poster boy, Kengo Nakamura's career has never quite escaped the shadow of his more illustrious contemporaries.
When the end-of-season awards are doled out, however, he may finally get his chance to take center stage.
Nakamura has been a mainstay for club and country for several years now, making his international debut in then-manager Ivica Osim's post-World Cup shakeup and starting each of Japan's games at the 2007 Asian Cup.