When Daizzen Maeda was chosen to lead the line for Japan during their opening match of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, there was a sense of widespread bewilderment about the Scottish football.
And it also felt completely understandable, given that he was not even the first choice of Japanese frontman in his club. That honor of course fell on Kyogo Furuhashi, who had scored 13 goals in 16 games in an electric start of the season for Celtic.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, however, had a different perspective and chose to leave Furuhashi out of his team for Qatar completely.
Yet, with the attacking talents of Kaoru Mitoma, Daichi Kamada and Ritsu Doan, it felt at his disposal, as if Maeda was along for the ride as a decent bench option, to be brought into the action with his characteristic six to run on tired legs.
Maeda had scored only five goals for Celtic in that phase of the season. During his first 11 months in the Scottish competition – after his arrival in January of Yokohama F. Marinos – he had been an effective team player who often contributed as one of the impact of Ange Postecoglou, and noticed the most for his tireless running, energy and smelly.
However, to say the blunt, however, he was no one's idea of an elite finisher, let alone a starting central striker in a big global tournament.
How times have changed.
The Double on Saturday against Harten brought Maeda's count for the season to 30, so that his name was brought there with some of the most predatory strikers of Celtic over the years. With potentially nine games left this season, it is not unthinkable that he could overhaul Leigh Griffiths' count of 40 of the 2015/16 season and the most productive striker of the club since Henrik could become Larsson.
As manager Brendan Rodgers said after Maeda's Weekend Brace against Harten: “It's not bad for someone who is not supposedly a goal scorer.”
Maeda's recent figures have just been breathtaking. Since Furuhashi's departure from £ 10 million to Rennes at the end of January, Maeda has scored 15 goals in 12 performances for Celtic. He has reduced £ 9.5 million Adam Idah to a spectator and has paid to the hope of returning to land loaner Johnny Kenny, a serious playing time.
The most striking of all, it was the sounds that came from the Bayern Munich camp during the Champions League of the Parkhead Club near Miss against the German giants who best emphasized the current reputation of the Buzzbomb of the Bhoys in the European game.
Defender Cameron Carter vickers revealed that his former Spurs-friend Eric Dier had told him that the walking statistics of the Japanese striker were attached to their wall of dressing room, which underlines respect that they offered 27-year-old. The thought of Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane and Joshua Kimmich are all together, wondering about Maeda's heat cards and performing statistics while they set out a way to keep him still, says everything about his standing in the game.
Maeda's impact on Rodgers's planning has also been transformational. The Parkhead -Baas was castigated because of its failure to introduce a direct replacement for Furuhashi in the January window and he had admitted that Spits was a priority position in the future.
By the end of last week, however, Rodgers admitted that his hand was forced. So effective was his new improvised more goal -oriented, he would now be looking for fresh blood in the wide areas that Maeda used to work in.
“I think it is one where if we moved it back to the side and remove it from the middle – with all due respect, it is probably easier for us to bring in a top wing than a top player,” Rodgers said. 'He can clearly play the position and I am so happy that he can.
'I think what everyone sees now is his real final quality. There is also a variety in its finish. He enters to score his one-V-One-es with left foot, right foot and headers. He has a really good repertoire of finishes. '
With so much praise and achievement, the promise of rich rewards now comes. Maeda was contracted until 2027, but the work has started with a longer deal and improved conditions, in which Rodgers admits that the player earns every penny and earns more. “
Of course, Celtic remains susceptible to large bids for each player, and making a neat win on Maeda would simply follow through some of the remarkable transfer activities that the club has done in the past seasons.
But although you would not bet they just find the next rough diamond and polish him in a salable property, it is unlikely that they will find another cult hero so easy. Maeda is already destined to be reminded of a roll -call from strange heroes who would go something like Henrik, Lubo, Stan, Naka, Virgil, Dizeen …
For now, however, Maeda will simply concentrate on adding the census of his season. Perhaps he already has the total of Griffiths in sight.
In the immediate aftermath of the victory over Harten, Maeda said in an interview about Celtictv: 'Yes, it was a great game. I am happy to score goals. Next game I score a hat trick, yes. '
It was undoubtedly said, but the prospect of maintaining his current Strike-rate could see Maeda entering a new status stratosphere in Celtic.
In the entire history of the club, only eight players have scored 40 times or more in all games in one season. For Maeda to participate in a list of Jimmy McGrory, Joe McBride, Bobby Lennox, Kenny Dalglish, Charlie Nicholas, Brian McClair, Henrik Larsson and Leigh Griffiths would be an amazing achievement – not in the least competitized with his name of the year.
Maeda returned the time to Qatar 2022 and saw an early goal excluded for offside in that world cup opener against Germany, but did not enjoy the best games in general. Only after he had withdrawn, Japan burst to life and surprised the four -fold champions by goals from Doan and Takuma Asano.
Maeda was dropped for their next game, a 1-0 defeat against Costa Rica, but was back the line when the Samurai Blue stunned Spain with 2-1 in one of their greatest disturbances of all time to claim as group winners. He then scored against Croatia in the last 16 before he looked helpless while his country crashed on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
By that time it was clear that this was a player who had a tireless mind, both in his playing style and his character. He took beats on and next to the field and questioned his capacities.
This season he has silenced all remaining doubters. But his work has not yet been done. And in that respect, it is not that of the statisticians and number crunchers who are responsible for keeping his remarkable goals.
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