In this article, I will report on everything that Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate said in an interview with the football programme in Japan broadcast on 8th July. The content broadcasted on 1st July as already reported in an earlier article I submitted to The Celtic Star. This time, it’s an interview in Lennoxtown by Masanobu Katsumura, who became the official supporter of Celtic Japan Tour.
Katsumura: “Did you imagine being called up to Celtic by Ange?”
Kyogo: “I couldn’t imagine it.”
Katsumura: “How about your life and football in Scotland?”
Reo Hatate: “In Japan and Scotland, intensity, individual abilities, and football styles are different.”
:Reo Hatate of Celtic celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Aberdeen FC at on February 18, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Katsumura: “What’s the difference between J.League and SPFL on the physical aspect?”
Reo: “The difference from Japan is that tackle is intense. I had hard time getting used to that part.”
Daizen Maeda: “In my case, I’ve never had cramp in my foot in J.League, but I’ve had that some times in SPFL. In that respect, I realised the difference between toughness of games in football.”
Katsumura: “Daizen, you were great in J.League, but it looks like you’ve been shining even more in SPFL.”
Daizen: “Does that mean that my head is more shining in SPFL?”
Katsumura: “Crazy. The interview time is limited, so please refrain from spending time making jokes. Okay, it’s joking.”
Katsumura: “SPFL’s games seems to be more intense than J.League in every way.”
Daizen: “There’re many supporters, so by showing that we score goals and playing hard, the atmosphere of stadiums become so exciting at once. That’s so good.”
Katsumura: “Is that atmosphere comfortable?”
Daizen: “Yeah, that’s very comfortable.”
Katsumura: “By the way, what do you think of each other?”
Daizen: “Kyogo is smiling all the time as we saw him. And Reo always has sulky attitude. It’s just like him during this interview.”
Katsumura: “Reo, behave properly.”
Reo: “It’s okay. Maybe I’m motivated today.”
Katsumura: “Funny. What do you think about the two of them?”
Reo: “Daizen is the same age, so I rely on him both on and off the pitch, and we always talk about various things. Kyogo doesn’t say to dining out together very much. I want him to go out to dining with me.”
Katsumura: “Why don’t you say that to Reo?”
Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic reacts after the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at Celtic Park on April 08, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Kyogo: “I tried to have dinner with him, but we didn’t have good timing. I’ll take him to great restaurants.”
Katsumura: “Kyogo, what do you think about the two of them?”
Kyogo: “Daizen is a really reliable player because he runs fast and works hard in offense and defence. It’s fun for me to play with him. As for Reo, he is an important player who is starting point of our attack, and I have received countless good passes from him, so I’m full of gratitude to him. In off-the-pitch, when we all went to a restaurant last year, including Reo and Daizen’s children, I said “Daizen’s children are so cute” with Reo.”
Daizen: “My daughters are really cute.”
Katsumura: “Do Kyogo and Reo sometimes take care of your daughters?”
Daizen: “Kyogo is good at taking care of children, but Reo is not good at it.”
Katsumura: “Hilarious. By the way, how was Champions League last season?”
Kyogo: “It was amazing. The cheers of our supporters were also wonderful, so I had goosebumps every games. I’ve been watching Champions League on TV for a long time, so it were very good experiences to be able to play as a player on that stage.”
Daizen: “I got goosebumps when I listened to UEFA European conference league’s anthem, but the moment I listened to Champions League’s anthem, I got more goosebumps. The level was different. I hope that we could break through group stage next season. We’ll definitely do that.”
Reo Hatate of Celtic celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Johnstone FC at on December 24, 2022(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Reo: “I remember that the first game of Champions League was one against Real Madrid at Celtic Park. Because it was Celtic Park, I felt that the reaction of Celtic supporters when the anthem started to play was so amazing. All Champions League games were at high level, so I was able to experience six very exciting games.”
Katsumura: “After all, it’s important for your team to have games in Champions League, isn’t it?”
Daizen: “Sure. But, not only to do that, but if we don’t win, there’s no point.”
Finally, Kyogo and Reo talked about their experiences at Celtic as follows.
Reo: “All of my experience at Celtic makes me grow not only as a footballer, but also as a person. And I’m sure that what I’m experiencing here will have a great impact on my life in the future.”
Kyogo: “I couldn’t speak English at all when I moved to Scotland, but many people supported me. People talk to me many times even if I can’t speak English. In that sense, I always feel that everything gonna be okay. Because of this experience, when I return to Japan in the future, I hope that I can tell people in my own words so that I can reach as many people as possible about what I experienced in Scotland.”
Celtic v Aberdeen – Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates with the league trophy after the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Saturday May 27, 2023. Photo Andrew Milligan
That’s all.
Yatao