KYOGO FURUHASHI
Forward
Date of Birth: 20 Jan 1995
Debut: v Hearts (A) on 31 July 2021
Nationality: Japanese
Signed: July 2021
Kyogo Furuhashi arrived at Celtic Park in the summer of 2021 on a four-year deal from Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
Born in Ikoma, Nara, Japanese attacker Kyogo Furuhashi spent his early years playing football at Chuo University. In February 2017, he moved to Japanese lower league side FC Gifu and scored six goals in 44 appearances, assisting 11 times for team-mates in the process.
The following campaign, Furuhashi scored 11 goals and assisted seven times for his peers in 26 appearances, before signing for J1 League outfit Vissel Kobe – again impressing there with five goals and an assist in 14 appearances.
From there, Furuhashi played an integral role in Vissel Kobe’s Emperor’s Cup success of 2018/19 with a goal in the competition’s semi-final stage (a 3-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse), before playing a full 90 minutes during a 2-0 final win over Kashima Antlers.
Before moving to Glasgow, Furuhashi featured a total of 111 times for Vissel Kobe – hitting 49 goals along the way – in a side captained by Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard was particularly complementary of the Japanese attacker following his move to Paradise, keenly praising Celtic’s vocal supporters at the same time.
Furuhashi made his Hoops debut when he came on as a late substitute in a 2-1 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle on Matchday One of the 2021/22 Scottish Premiership campaign.
COUNTRY BHOY
At the age of 24, Kyogo Furuhashi made his international debut in a 4-1 friendly defeat to Venezuela, playing 45 minutes at the national side’s Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. The attacker’s first goals for his country came during a 14-0 World Cup qualifier win against Mongolia, when he hit a brace after featuring for just 19 minutes.