Kyogo and Reo Hatate were called up for the national team, attended the training for the friendly match against Canada to be held on 13 October at the national team’s training facility located in Chiba Prefecture on 10 October. The state of the training is shared as follows.
Yesterday’s training🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/8EElFiM5oy
— Yatao (@yataoda4) October 11, 2023
In addition, Canada national team, including AJ, also moved by bullet train to Niigata Prefecture, where the friendly match will be held, after arriving in Japan yesterday, and started training in the rain.
The boys are BACK! 👊🇯🇵#CANMNT pic.twitter.com/UstnH4q5x9
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) October 10, 2023
In training, the two Celtic stars took part in a mini-game after warming up and checked link-up.
Hatate and Kyogo were reunited with their former teammates and looked relaxed. Kyogo is high school classmate of Takumi Minamino, who plays in Monaco, and they have been playing together since childhood. Kyogo was pleased to be reunited with Minamino at the national team for the first time in about a year and said as follows.
“I’m so happy to be able to meet Minamino again as the national team player for the first time in a long time and play together.
“Also, I feel that I’m very honoured just to be able to play as a player of the national team. I can play in front of Japanese fans in this friendly match, and I am very grateful that the national team gave me this opportunity.
“I’ve been able to score goals at Celtic this season, but I haven’t scored goals in every game. I feel that I have to brush up my own skills and become a player who can help the team more.
“Anyway, through today’s training, I’m confident that I can build good partnership with any second striker. For example, Minamino has high ability to score goals and is player who can dribble forward even when he receives the ball in narrow space. When he receives the ball, I’m sure I can move and create as much space as possible for him.
“Currently, all of our players are in good condition at clubs, so the team, including me, wants to demonstrate our own performance in two games and win.”
After training tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, the national team will move to Niigata Prefecture to prepare for the game against Canada. I will report on training and also on Reo Hatate’s interview for my next article for The Celtic Star, coming up shortly.
Yatao
Come and join The Celtic Star live at the Kerrydale Suite at Celtic Park during the International break…
John Hartson will be just one of many special guests at a huge and unique Celtic Star event to be held in the Kerrydale Suite at Celtic Park on Thursday, 19 October 2023. Tables for 10 at £180 or individual tickets priced just £20 for this special evening can be purchased now via Celtic Star Books.
Meanwhile here’s Matt Corr talking about his latest Celtic Star book on The Celtic Exchange Podcast…
Majic, Stan and the King of Japan is out in Friday 20 October and is available to order now HERE.
The Celtic Star presents a night with John Hartson, Stephen McManus and Tommy Callaghan at the Kerrydale on Thursday 19 October…
There’s no Celtic action for a few weeks due the latest international break, but you can still come along to Celtic Park on Thursday 19 October – on the anniversary of Hampden in the Sun, Celtic 7 Rangers 1…to join The Celtic Star team live in the Kerrydale with special guests John Hartson, Stephen McManus and Tommy Callaghan as we launch Matt Corr’s new book ‘Majic, Stan and the King of Japan’ which tells the story of Gordon Strachan’s first season at Celtic and we’ll have the trophies Celtic won that season there too!
There’s live music from the wonderful Boolavogue and many more Celtic guests coming along which we’ll start to announce tomorrow. Tickets are selling fast so get yours now, just click on the image below and we’ll see you in the Kerrydale. it’s going to be some night and a great Celtic fix during the international break!
