Japanese player's family flies to Turkey to watch him play, but his first appearance leaves them stunned; here's what happened

Shoya Nakajima is a Japanese professional footballer who has played for clubs including FC Porto. Back in September 2022, he joined Turkish club Antalyaspor and his family travelled from Japan to watch him make his debut. The clip has once again surfaced on X and is currently trending.

They had hoped to see him enjoy a special moment on the pitch. Instead, the match against Adana Demirspor ended in a way no one expected in their weirdest dreams. Nakajima came on as a second-half substitute but was sent off almost immediately, leaving his family shocked and upset.

A trip from Japan to Turkey was supposed to be a proud moment for Shoya Nakajima and his family. They had travelled a long way to watch him make his first appearance for his new club, Antalyaspor.


But the day did not go as expected at all. The former FC Porto winger came on as a substitute against Adana Demirspor in September 2022, unfortunately merely to be sent off almost immediately.


What should have been a memorable football moment quickly became an upsetting experience for the family watching from the stands. He came on in the 59th minute, with Antalyaspor trailing in the match. He had barely settled into the game when he went in with a late sliding tackle on an opponent.

The challenge came around 20 seconds after his arrival. He failed to win the ball and the referee initially showed him a yellow card. But after checking the incident on VAR, the referee changed the decision to a straight red. Just like that, Nakajima's first appearance for Antalyaspor was over. The red card was disappointing enough but the moment was especially hard for his family. They had travelled all the way from Japan to Turkey to see him play for his new club.

Footage from the stadium showed their excitement turning into utter disbelief. His mother appeared visibly upset. Cameras capturing her emotional reaction as Nakajima walked off the pitch.


The footage has since made its way around social media. People have reacted with sympathy, jokes and debate over whether the referee's decision was too harsh.

His time on the pitch lasted barely a minute, leaving his family with a memory very different from the one they had travelled so far to make. Instead of celebrating his first game for Antalyaspor, they watched it end almost as soon as it began.