Daizen Maeda will head into the World Cup this summer alongside one of the most admired Japanese players ever to wear a Celtic shirt after Shunsuke Nakamura joined Japan’s coaching staff earlier this year.
The former Celtic midfielder returned to the national team setup in April after taking on a role under Hajime Moriyasu ahead of the tournament. For Celtic supporters, it creates a rare crossover between two players from completely different eras at the club.
Nakamura remains one of the most loved overseas signings in Celtic’s modern history.
His free-kicks, Champions League performances and technical quality made him iconic in Glasgow. Nearly twenty years later, Maeda has built a very different connection with supporters through relentless pressing, pace and work rate during another successful period for the club.
The timing also feels fitting.
Maeda arrives at the World Cup after one of the strongest seasons of his career. He carried much of Celtic’s attacking threat during difficult periods and finished the campaign as one of the first names on the teamsheet regardless of the manager.
Japan begin preparations this weekend with a friendly against Iceland before group games against the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden later in June.
Maeda spoke warmly about finally working alongside Nakamura with the national side.
He said: (Daily Record), “Shunsuke has always been called a legend of the team at Celtic, so I’m really looking forward to working alongside someone like him.”
The relationship between Celtic and Japanese football has changed massively since Nakamura first arrived in Glasgow back in 2005.
At that time, Japanese players in Scotland still felt unusual. Nakamura helped shift perceptions completely because of the level he reached at Celtic and the profile he brought internationally.
That path eventually helped open the door for players like Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Maeda years later.
The World Cup fixtures could also create a few Celtic links along the way.
Japan face Tunisia during the group stage, which could bring Maeda up against Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti if he features prominently for the North African side this summer. Sweden are also waiting later in the group and that match may see Benjamin Nygren lining up against Maeda as another player strongly linked with a move to Celtic.
Those small crossover moments tend to follow Celtic increasingly now.
Nakamura helped build that connection years ago. Maeda is now carrying it into another World Cup generation.
