Celtic supporters tuning into STV for Japan’s World Cup clash against the Netherlands on Sunday night were treated to a familiar sight before a ball had even been kicked.
Not only was Daizen Maeda in Japan’s starting line-up, but sitting in the studio was the man who first brought him to Celtic.
Former Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou was part of the punditry team and, unsurprisingly, it did not take long for the conversation to turn towards the Japanese forward.
Maeda started on the left side of Japan’s attack and arrived at the tournament in red-hot form.
The Celtic attacker had scored in each of his previous seven matches, producing one of the most important goalscoring runs of the season as Martin O’Neill’s side charged towards a dramatic league and cup double.
While he was unable to continue that streak against the Dutch, he still showed flashes of the energy and movement that have made him such a nightmare for defenders.
After a relatively quiet first half, the game exploded into life after the break, eventually finishing 2-2 in one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far.
Yet for many Celtic supporters, the most memorable moment came before kick-off.
Asked about the danger posed by Japan’s attack, Postecoglou immediately focused on the player he knows better than most.
The Australian first worked with Maeda at Yokohama F. Marinos before bringing him to Glasgow in January 2022.
And his admiration clearly hasn’t faded.
“Daizen Maeda, he’s a pressing machine,” Postecoglou said on STV.
“I worked with him, in terms of physical characteristics he’s absolutely elite.
“If the Dutch are sleeping on the ball today, he’ll close them down.
“Absolute freak of a physical specimen.
“His ability to close down the opposition, he’s got a real appetite for it.
“He’s just exceptional.”
Anyone who has watched Maeda over the last few seasons would struggle to disagree.
Whether it is the 90th minute or the first, his intensity rarely drops.
That relentless energy has become one of his defining characteristics and a huge reason why supporters have taken him to their hearts.
