Celebrating Celtic’s Birthday Bhoys Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley

Celtic have wished midfield partnership Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley a Happy Birthday. Both men share the same date of birth with Hatate celebrating his 25th birthday today while the younger of the two Matt O’Riley is 22 today. It’s quite the quirk for the dynamic duo who have been nothing short of magnificent since stepping up in the absence of club captain, Callum McGregor.

Reo Hatate and Luka Modric of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Group F match at Celtic Park, Photo Neil Hanna / Sportimage

O’Riley has been deployed in the deeper, sitting-midfield role within the preferred three that Ange Postecoglou likes to deploy in the central areas of the pitch. The Danish U21 cap has proved industrious as well as cultured, which is always a winning combination for a midfield player.

Celtic’s English midfielder Matt O’Riley (R) shoots the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Celtic FC and Shakhtar Donetsk, at the Celtic Park stadium, on October 25, 2022. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Likewise, Japanese star Hatate has really came into his own this season; dictating the tempo of the play in our skipper’s departure from the team and recreating that heartbeat in our engine room. His silky footwork and eye for a pass – in tandem with his ability to find tight spaces and manouvere within them – means we have an extremely sought after commodity in the game today.

There’s a lot more to come from the Bhoys, both incidentally were outstanding in the Sydney Super Cup match against Everton on Sunday.

Happy Birthday to Reo and Matt!