Japan’s Shunsuke Nakamura was taking the all-for-one line to extremes in the land of Uncle Ho when he was spotted collecting up the team’s balls after training at the Asian Cup and lugging them off to the bus in a huge bag.

The Celtic midfielder has been the driving force behind Japan’s run to the semi-finals in Hanoi but, despite his flair, he has shown a team ethic that Vietnam’s “father” Ho Chi Minh would have been proud of.

“I was first off after training so I got stuck with the job of ball-boy,” Nakamura told Reuters with a sheepish grin. “I’m not bothered. I’m more worried about all the mosquitoes.”

Nakamura also let Reuters in on his secret for recovering between Asian Cup games in Hanoi’s brutal heat and humidity — germanium baths.

“We’ve got all sorts of minerals. It’s nice to climb into a bath with an interesting colour than just plain old water,” he said. “My skin’s nice and smooth anyway!”

Nakamura used to have reputation as something of a “luxury player” and was famously discarded by then Japan coach Philippe Troussier before the 2002 World Cup.

But Nakamura has matured beyond recognition at Celtic and was last season’s double Scottish player of the year.

His love affair with the country is apparent, even in faraway Vietnam.

“We have our own Japanese chef but we also get Vietnamese noodles,” he said, before adding quickly, “Just don’t ask if it tastes better than Scottish food. I can’t say anything bad about Scotland!”

Alastair Himmer is in Vietnam covering the Asian Cup

Asian Cup glamour coach Bruno Metsu says he has no problems looking in the mirror — and he likes what he sees. Unfortunately, it’s not helping the United Arab Emirates, who lost their first two games in Group B.

The Frenchman, a dead ringer for soft rock crooner Michael Bolton with his wavy, blow-dried hair and gold medallion, famously guided Senegal to the last eight of the 2002 World Cup in their first appearance at the finals and still believes he has the magic touch.

“I believe in me. I trust in me,” he told Reuters, as if belting out an old Bolton classic. “For me confidence is no problem. I can still look in the mirror and it’s no problem for me!”

Metsu enjoyed success at club level in the Middle East after the 2002 World Cup and warned UAE officials that if they no longer found him sexy he would flounce out and find alternative employment.

“If they are not happy, I will make my job (elsewhere) and make my bed!” he said with a flick of his shoulder-length mane.

Alastair Himmer is covering the Asian Cup

Japan coach Ivica Osim’s increasingly bizarre behaviour reduced the team’s interpreter to tears after the holders were held to a 1-1 draw by Qatar in their Asian Cup opener.

The 66-year-old Bosnian flew into a rage and blasted his players as “amateurs” in a tirade his official interpreter Zen Chida was unable to translate as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Osim, who led Yugoslavia to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup, has shown distinct signs of a siege mentality in the build-up to the Asian Cup after being asked about his future should Japan fail to reach the last four of the tournament.

Japan gave away a late equaliser in their opening Group B game in Hanoi, sparking a furious reaction from Osim.

“He was in a rage,” Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura said with a wry grin. “He called us amateurs. We need to pick ourselves up in a hurry.”

Alastair Himmer is covering Japan for Reuters at the Asian Cup

Japan’s defence of their Asian Cup title could be all but over before the tournament even begins this weekend, now that talismanic dachshund Rommel is no longer part of the team.

Japan went into last year’s World Cup unbeaten in 18 games where Rommel, or Ron for short, had been in attendance. That quickly went pear-shaped in Germany as Japan bowed out with barely a whimper and Ron retired immediately after.

A superstar in Japan, Ron’s presence in his trademark kids-size Japan shirt brought a sense of calm to the Japan side and former coach Zico would keep a photo of Ron tucked inside his pocket whenever the mutt was unable to travel to games.

Ron was unable to cover for the team’s short-comings at the World Cup. How will they do without him now, as they chase a third straight title?

Alastair Himmer, Tokyo

Japan striker Kazuki Ganaha was suspended by his J-League club last week for taking an intravenous supplement to cure a bout of flu. Fair enough you might think. Until you learn the IV drip was merely a garlic infusion.

The 26-year-old was suspended for violating the J-League’s anti-doping rules, which closely follow those of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, and he is still waiting to learn how long the ban will last.

Garlic? Doping? Whatever next? Korean athletes have had their spicy national dish, kimchi confiscated at airports en route to major sports tournaments in the past, but how long before we see over-zealous customs officials stopping the likes of Wayne Rooney and ordering them to give up any cans of baked beans they may have about them? Admittedly, you would be hard pushed to administer baked beans intravenously but still…

Here at the blog it got us thinking about other players who’ve found themselves in doping trouble over unlikely substances. It’s not quite the same thing, but there was a TSV 1860 Munich player who blamed a hair tonic for a positive test not so long ago. Can you think of any others?

Alastair Himmer is a Reuters sports correspondent based in Tokyo

I first interviewed Shunsuke Nakamura in Beirut surrounded by bombed-out slums used to shelter Hezbollah fighters. I don’t know who was more scared — the scrawny 23-year-old about to face the foreign press, or me, petrified about not being able to get back to my hotel before dark.

This was the Asian Cup in 2000 when Japan were forced to train on a pitch hemmed in by crumbling buildings and scattered liberally with rubble and bits of twisted metal. Even among such oppressive surroundings, Nakamura stood out as a potentially world-class player but he always struck me as a bit lightweight — a Japanese Matt Le Tissier, if you like.

Former Japan coach Philippe Troussier thought Nakamura too much of a luxury player to risk selecting for the 2002 World Cup. At the time I fully agreed. I recalled that time in Beirut when Nakamura trudged over to me when ordered to by Japan’s press officer. “Why do I have to go and talk to the foreigners?” Nakamura asked sulkily, afraid to have to speak English. His mood scarcely improved even when he realised I spoke Japanese.

Fast forward seven years, Nakamura is the heartbeat of Japan’s side and has just been voted player of the year after a superb season with Celtic. The pout has been replaced by a wide smile and Nakamura is always ready to chat and to share a joke with journalists.

Nakamura curled in a trademark free kick in Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Kilmarnock that gave Celtic a second successive Scottish title. The 28-year-old has played in all of Celtic’s 34 league matches this season and scored nine goals in becoming the first Japanese player to win back-to-back titles in Europe.

Watching pictures of Nakamura tearing off his shirt and jumping into the crowd at Kilmarnock the thought struck me that the boy had become a man.

Alastair Himmer is a Reuters sports correspondent based in Tokyo