Wednesday, 28 May 2025

[Post 1226] He Gave Up His Citizenship For Singapore Football: Tampines Rovers' Kyoga Nakamura | On The Red Dot


Summary

What does it really mean to call Singapore home? For Japan-born footballer Kyoga Nakamura, it meant giving up his Japanese passport — and choosing to represent a country he had never even visited until six years ago. Now a Singapore citizen, Kyoga’s journey raises big questions: What does loyalty look like when you leave everything familiar behind? What does patriotism mean in a place you’re still learning to call your own?

Japan and Singapore are worlds apart in football. So why would Kyoga trade a nation steeped in football tradition for one still finding its footing in the game? With his wife and kids by his side, it was a bold move — maybe even a risky one. Will it pay off? And here's the real kicker: how much of Singapore does Kyoga truly understand? As much as he loves Singapore, will he ever be a true-blue Singaporean at the core?

Comedian and football fan Rishi Budhrani digs into all this and more, as he gets to know Kyoga — and what it really takes to become Singaporean.

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