When Hidetoshi Nakata announced his retirement on his Web site July 3, it shocked the soccer world.
After all, he was only 29 years old, had recently won a FIFA Man of the Match award at the World Cup, against Croatia, and still had several seasons left in him as a professional.
At the same time, though, for everyone who has followed his career closely, it was typical Nakata behavior: Totally unexpected, but, after it had sunk in, completely predictable.