Hidetoshi Nakata is a former Japanese football player. He is best known for his play with the Italian Serie A.

Hidetoshi Nakata was born in Yamanshi Prefecture, Japan on January 22, 1977. At 18 he began his professional football career by signing with J. League. He played with the Japanese Olympic Team in 1996 when the squad upset the talented Brazilian team. He also appeared in the 2000 Olympics. In 1997, he made his debut with the senior national team, playing against South Korea. In 1998 his team qualified for the FIFA World Cup; Hidetoshi Nakata set up all three Japanese goals against Iran. After the World Cup, he moved to Perugia in the Italian Serie A.

In 2000 he moved to the Roma team where he helped them with the Serie A Championship. In 2001 he helped Japan reach the final round of the 2001 Confederations Cup. After that appearance he left the Japanese national team and joined Parma. At the 2002 World Cup he played in every match with the Japanese team. In 2004 he joined Bologna. He spent the 2004/2005 season with Fiorentina, and in 2005 was loaned out to Premiership/Bolton Wanderers. In 2005 he was made a Knight of the Star of Italian Solidarity, one of the highest Italian honors for helping improve the country's image. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Nakata returned to the Japanese team, which lost to Australia and Brazil.

Hidetoshi Nakata announced his football retirement in July, 2006 saying, "I will never again stand on the pitch as a professional player. But I won't stop playing the game."

In addition to a strong interest in football, Hidetoshi Nakata is also a noted fashion icon.