Kyogo Furuhashi scored a double against theRangers at Hampden Park for Celtic a couple of weeks back, making it the second season on the bounce he’s scored a brace in a League Cup Final to win the Hoops silverware, and made it abundantly clear that he is a big time player. The forward has been tremendous this year and is on 24 goals already for the campaign, meaning he is on course to smash the 30-goal barrier.

When we signed the former Vissel Kobe attacker in the summer of 2021, Ange Postecoglou stated that he made Kyogo’s signing a priority to the Celtic Board. At £4.6 million, it was a considerable chunk of change from the budget that year, as we had embarked on perhaps the biggest rebuild at Parkhead since the days of Martin O’Neill. Highly rated, Ange knew that Kyogo would take to Celtic like a duck takes to water – and he hasn’t been wrong.

The small striker is well on his way to being a club legend and earning himself a status along with the greats. Never one to complain or whine, Kyogo gets on with things and does his business on the park. His enthusiasm for the game is only matched by his love of the Celtic supporters and they have an equally strong affection for the Japan international too. The bonds that have been forged in this past two years has been nothing short of spectacular. The synergy between the players and fanbase is as strong as it has ever been, and Kyogo Furuhashi is the symbol of that.

His appreciation of what the fans give as well as his dedication to immersing himself in our culture, all ensures that the man who has now single-handedly won two domestic Cup finals remains embedded in the hearts of the natives that pay to watch him every single week in Scottish football. Equally, his wonderful attitude and humanity towards his fellow sportsmen out on the pitch is admirable as it is unusual on these shores. Always checking on opponents when they appear to be injured or in discomfort, Kyogo embodies the spirit of sport and never wavers with time; he truly is a Man for All Seasons in that regard.

Following his sinking of theRangers and his overall performances of late, Celtic TV sat down with the diminutive Japanese goalscorer to discuss how things have been going with him so far this year. Ahead of our clash with Premiership side Hearts, he deflected praise onto his teammates in usual Kyogo fashion. “My team-mates are passing to me a lot and that’s helping me,” Kyogo said.

“The staff, coaches and the fans are supporting me a lot too, so I’m very happy for this and I would like to develop more. Because I’m a striker my role is to get the goals. I don’t want to talk about the future a lot, but I think I need to focus on the games one by one and at the end, if I can achieve 30 goals, it’s going to be a great thing.”

More specifically, he reserved a special mention for fellow countryman and equally talented footballer, Reo Hatate, who has been outstanding of late too, saying: “He’s a good player who can make the difference with his positioning, with a pass and with creating chances. So as his team-mate, I’m happy to play with him and I’m happy to have him in our team.” It has truly been a blessing to have both men here as they develop their respective talents to new levels and the sky is the limit for both as far as the Celtic supporters are concerned. What’s concerning is the eyes that may be on our midfielder and striker heading into Ange Postecoglou’s third season in charge of the club, particularly from the English Premier League.

However, until such times arise we should enjoy these footballers whilst they wear the famous green and white hoops. Kyogo is well on track to finish top scorer in the cinch Premiership rankings come the end of the footballing calendar, and his old teammate Giorgos Giakoumakis managed to steak joint-top goalscorer last time out too. Undoubtedly, the buzzbomb will want to have some of that action as a validation of how hard he works for the Bhoys on the training ground and during games.

He’ll get his chance to take another step closer to that accolade tonight, as we face Heart of Midlothian at Paradise with an opportunity to stretch our lead at the top of the league looking down on theRangers, as Mick Beale’s men are away from home against a tricky Hibs side. On the match itself, Kyogo added: “As a team we do not change what we must do. We must follow the style of play. They are a good team, but we will work hard for the fans. If I can score the goals to win the game, then I’ll be grateful.”

Kyogo’s full interview is available for subscribers of Celtic TV, however here is a snippet from that exclusive sit-down below…

Paul Gillespie