Daizen Maeda

Clean sweep of the awards is nothing less than we'll deserved. Phenomenal season for the big man.

 

My wife want to take a shower with me so im just here to watch some Maeda pics to get going

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It's a trap. Wife's are no like that unless they want something.. I'd say go get a pint of milk down the shop. Come back when she's a sleep and forgot what's she's after.

 

Lol

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Daizen Maeda says he's putting contract talks on the back burner to concentrate on winning another Treble with Celtic, after being named the SFWA Player of the Year.


The Japanese sensation has been in explosive form this term, scoring 33 goals and hoovering up every top individual award including the SFWA gong which he was unsurprisingly handed tonight.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has made it clear he wants to extend the fans' favourite's current deal beyond 2027.

But with the Hoops also braced for big-money offers, Maeda hinted that he'll wait and see what the summer brings before committing to a new contract.


Maeda said: "This is a world where you never know what’s going to happen next.

"This a good team but I need to think about what comes next with my family and everything. Now my focus is on this team.


"I’m not thinking a lot right now because there’s still a game to play. I’m thinking about how I spend my day off, so we’ll just get the games done, then let’s see what happens."

Maeda has lifted an astonishing eight trophies in just three-and-a-half seasons since his bargain £1.7million move from Yokohama F. Marinos.

He also wrote his name in the club's history books by bagging four Champions League goals this campaign—the most since Joe Craig in 1977/78.


Maeda had Bayern Munich's superstars raving about him after terrorising the Bundesliga giants' defence in February's agonising playoff defeat.

And if the 27-year-old decides to stay in Glasgow, Maeda believes the Parkhead side can progress even further in Europe next term.

He said: "Everyone said we did a great performance in the Champions League but we didn’t go through to the next stage. I think there’s something missing in our team. So for the next seasons, I think we should try to go to the next stage."

Privately, Maeda well have ambitions to play in one of Europe's top five leagues.

He's already had a taste of Portuguese football after a season-long stint at Marítimo in 2019-20.

Maeda scored four in 24 appearances and believes he wouldn't have returned to his homeland had the Covid pandemic not brought the world to a halt.

He said: "I don’t think it didn't work well because I was playing for the club. It’s just the timing of that club was before and during covid and I had to make a decision for the family.

"It all came to an end, there was a decision to go back. If there hadn’t been covid I would have stayed in Europe. It is what it is.

Maeda must be running out of space on his mantlepiece after adding the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year prize to his ever-growing collection.

He added: "I'm very happy to receive the award. I think teammates come first and it’s because of them I have received this award.

"After that it’s managers, coaches, staff, and also of course my parents. I'm really pleased to receive this award for them."

 

RIGHT now he’s starring in the Hoops.

But as a boy he’d dreamt of performing beneath the Olympic rings.


Daizen Maeda has had a season to remember at Celtic.

He's added the Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year award to the PFA Scotland and SPFL trophies he’d already collected.

But being a hero out on the football pitch wasn’t an image the young Daizen had in mind as he grew up in Japan.

Instead he’d be glued to the gymnastics events at the Olympics and wish it would be him one day.


Maeda still has moments when he wonders if he’d have made it.

But he’s sure the work he put in to try and make it to a Games has benefited him as a player - and is a reason he’s achieved what he has at Parkhead.

Maeda, 27, said: “I’m a baseball fan but when I was younger I didn't want to be a baseball player. I wanted to be a gymnast.

“I used to do it a lot as a child. I practised a lot. I would look at the Olympics and think I wanted to be there.


“I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That’s why I was practising so much.

“I would do things on the boxes and back jumps. On the floor and the one with the bars.


How old was I when I decided football was a better way to go? I still don't think football is better! I just realised now I'm a football player!

“But I think learning how to use the body back then has been helpful for me because I'm not really doing anything towards that just now.

“I just think that experience in my childhood helps me move my body better.”

As well as picking up a hat-trick of personal gongs, Maeda is celebrating becoming a dad for the third time.

He’d headed back to Japan last month to be with his wife but then returned to face Rangers with his child still to be born.

Until now he’s only been introduced to son Raikou via Zoom calls so he can’t wait to meet him for real once the season is over


Maeda said: “I now have a baby boy. I’ve seen him on video calls. I haven't seen him face-to-face yet so I just want to go into the off-season and see him.”

Moving to the Hoops wasn’t Maeda’s first taste of football in Europe.

Back in 2019 his J-League side Matsumoto Yamaga farmed him out to Portuguese team Maritimo.

It was far from a disastrous spell as he bagged four goals in 24 appearances


But Covid saw him head back home and in August 2020 Ange Postecoglou signed him on loan to Yokohama F Marinos.

A loan spell became permanent and he hasn’t looked back, with the Australian taking him to Parkhead two years late


Maeda said: “I don’t think the move to Maritimo didn't work well because I was playing.

“It was just the timing of going there. It was before and during Covid and I had to make a decision for my family.

“It all came to an end and there was a decision made to go back. If there hadn’t been covid I would have stayed in Europe. It is what it is.”

Maeda has 33 goals and 12 assists to his name this term and doesn’t hesitate when asked to rate where the season ranks in his career.

He said: “It’s definitely the best. I understood the importance of constantly doing what I'm doing. It was a great season to understand that and hopefully I can continue.


“It has been beyond the expectations I had at the start of the season. But there have been several times in my career where things I've been doing have paid off at the end.

“It’s why I'm very happy to receive the writers’ award. But teammates come first and it’s because of them I have received it. Then it’s the manager, coaches, staff and my parents. I'm really pleased to receive it for them.”

Maeda is now halfway through the four-year extension he penned in 2023.

Boss Brendan Rodgers would like to hand him another new contract.



But Maeda admits he has some pondering to do, with clubs known to be circling.

He said: “This is a world where you never know what’s going to happen next.

“This a good team but I need to think about what comes next with my family and the gaffer and everything. For now my focus is on this team


“I’m not thinking a lot right now because there are still games to play. I’m also just thinking about how I spend my day off today so we’ll get the games done then see what happens.”

Maeda helped the Hoops qualify from the Champions League group stages but they then lost to Bayern Munich in the play-offs.

It means he will have one burning desire if he does stay at Parkhead beyond the summer.

He said: “Everyone said we had a great performance in the Champions League but we didn’t go through to the next stage

“So I think there’s something missing in our team in that regard. For the next seasons I think we should try to go to the next stage.”

Shunsuke Nakamura’s arrival in 2005 started the links between Celtic and Japan.

Maeda has stepped in to fill the boots of the departed Kyogo Furuhashi while Reo Hatate has impressed to the point Udinese are sending scouts to keep tabs on him.

Asked about his pride in keeping that legacy going, Maeda - set to face St Mirren tomorrow - said: “I’m very proud of this


From the moment I joined this club everyone was very welcoming, especially the Japanese players.

“I think having Japanese players in this team will strengthen the levels of the team and improve the technique of the team. I hope there will be more players coming over.”

 

Makes sense really. The most premium athlete to don the hoops for me.

 

Will be gutted if he goes but he is probably thinking where do I go from here at celtic, won every cup, played in UCL countless times, swept the POTY awards.

Won't begrudge him his move if he gets it but will miss the mad * big time.

Already resigned myself to him going tbh

 

Cha is the only guy that I’d say might be close. As a pure athlete.

And that highlights just how different a mentality Daizen has, he is a freak machine athlete but he is tireless mentally and has the football IQ on how to use it to such a devastating effect.

Cha is the perfect example of a player not having any of that, he was a freak athlete as well. But it didn’t matter that he was. Maeda is special man, I’ve never been this worried going into a window about maybe him being tempted away.

Larsson leaving he prepped us for that we knew, Van Dijk we forced another year out of he pretty much went on strike the summer before, Tierney we knew was going….

Jota was just a complete blindside out the blue, didn’t have any worries he’d not stay going into the window.


Maeda, he’s happy here, but he has worked his way into nobody would be surprised if Bayern or something bid £20m for him or so. They’re are teams that will be looking that could tempt him but he’s happy here as well.

And we just can’t lose him

 

He mentions his family a lot. I'd wager he'll think carefully on his future because of them, too. Is it worth uprooting them just for any EPL club? I don't think he'd do that. Now, a strong German side bidding for him changes the picture.

 

If Daizen is saying he's done rings and bar gymnastics he's still the fittest we've had, in addition to his style of play and pressing ability as well, it's the most effective utilisation of said athleticism I've witnessed anyway.

 

Think we may get another season out of him personally.

 

Same. Sometimes clubs go in early, but it's only been this season he's played like this. His pressing will always be great, but the rest has came on so much. Clubs may want to wait and see if it's not a purple patch before blowing £25m+

 

Offski. Players sign new deals all the time mid season , he clearly isn't going to sign a new one and I doubt the club will want his contract running down any further. He's done 4 seasons ,is 28 and will be well sought after (for a good fee) , so makes sense for all parties.

 

Been my favourite player in the squad for a long time now it'll be a * to see him go, but with the season he's had domestically and in europe there's no chance he doesn't have really good options put in front of him now, be a minor miracle if he chooses to stay.

 

Give us Frimpong and £20+ million plus 10% sell on fee and deal is done

 

4 goals today and at least 3 in Cup final will give him 40 for the season in all comps.

 

Congratulations Daizen on all the awards and a great season.

Controversial perhaps, but I think Maeda has absolutely peaked, ran through a purple patch and we won't get another season anywhere near as good again.

If Celtic are looking to sell at peak value, now is the time