Daizen Maeda walked around Hampden with another trophy in his hands on Saturday evening, but one banner inside the Celtic support caught far more attention than most of the celebrations around him.
As players completed their lap of honour after the Scottish Cup Final win over Dunfermline, a large banner reading “Arigato Daizen” appeared among the Celtic support behind the goal.
It immediately sparked fresh discussion around Maeda’s future.
Rumours surrounding the Japanese forward have continued throughout the second half of the season, especially with interest again building from Germany and England. Maeda has still not publicly committed himself beyond next season and Celtic know they are moving toward a dangerous point contractually if talks over a new deal do not progress.
The timing of the banner felt deliberate.
Supporters know exactly how important Maeda has become during the last few months of the campaign. Once the title race tightened, Celtic increasingly relied on his movement, pressing and physical intensity in games that became tense and scrappy rather than open and technical.
🍀 @CelticFC fans pay tribute to Daizen Maeda as he parades around the pitch with the trophy#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/pOtNR24ixp
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 23, 2026
Saturday’s final followed the same pattern.
Maeda’s run in behind settled Celtic early after a nervous opening spell against Neil Lennon’s side. His goal changed the feel of the afternoon completely and allowed Callum McGregor and Arne Engels to take control of midfield afterwards.
Even late in the game, with the final already drifting away from Dunfermline, Maeda was still sprinting back toward his own half to press defenders and close spaces down.
That is why supporters reacted so strongly toward him after full-time.
The banner itself looked simple enough, but it reflected the growing fear among fans that this may have been Maeda’s final major occasion in a Celtic shirt.
There are players supporters admire technically. Others become favourites because of personality.
Maeda sits somewhere different because of how hard he plays every minute he is on the pitch. Celtic’s entire shape changes when he starts pressing aggressively from the front.
As he walked around Hampden with the Scottish Cup trophy above his head, many supporters probably wondered whether they were saying thank you rather than simply celebrating another winner’s medal.
love him to stay but he has dreams Spl teams no they wont get a better chance to topple Celtic F.C
now they know our team hit by injuries unsettled management but the courage of the squad pulled us through
Life changing sums for his family if he goes down south. We could never get close. Watching football over 60 years I have never seen such a work ethic.
Arigato Daizen Maeda