Keito Nakamura was born on 28 July 2000 in Abiko, Chiba, and rose through Gamba Osaka's youth system. After turning professional with Gamba, he made the bold decision to move to the Netherlands at 18, joining FC Twente in 2019. Loan spells at Sint-Truiden in Belgium and at LASK in Austria followed, with the LASK move proving particularly transformative.
In 2022–23 Nakamura exploded for LASK, scoring 14 Bundesliga goals in 31 matches. That breakthrough season earned him a transfer to Stade de Reims in France's Ligue 1 in August 2023 for around €12 million. He lit up Ligue 1 immediately: 25 matches with 4 goals in his half-season, then a stunning 34-game, 11-goal full season in 2024–25 that confirmed him as one of Japan's most clinical wide players.
Even after Reims' relegation to Ligue 2 in summer 2025, Nakamura has continued to deliver — 28 league matches with 10 goals across the first half of 2025–26 — and remains one of Reims' most consistent attacking weapons. His goal-scoring instincts have translated to international football: he scored 4 goals in 4 friendlies during 2023, the kind of strike-rate that put him at the heart of Hajime Moriyasu's plans.
A direct, two-footed left-sided attacker with elite finishing inside the box, Nakamura is one of Japan's most dependable wide attacking weapons heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.