Yokohama F. Marinos defender Yuji Nakazawa, who played in two World Cups for Japan, has decided to retire, the J. League first division side announced Tuesday.
The 40-year-old center back played for Japan at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and 2010 edition in South Africa, but only appeared in 22 games in the top division last season due to pain in his left knee.
The knee pain forced him to sit out a game last August, ending his string of 178 straight full games and 199 consecutive appearances, both league records for an outfield player.