Reo Hatate

Reo Hatate's path to Celtic Park ran through Japan's university system rather than a traditional academy route: he played for Shizuoka Gakuen High School, where he picked up an Outstanding Player Award, before joining Juntendo University. He turned professional with Kawasaki Frontale in 2019, having featured for the club as a designated special player while still a student.

At Kawasaki Frontale, Hatate won the J1 League twice, in 2020 and 2021, along with the Emperor's Cup and the Japanese Super Cup. That run of success caught Celtic's attention, and in January 2022 the club paid around £1.4 million to bring him to Scotland. He has since collected five Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups, and signed a new five-year contract in September 2023 to tie his future to the club.

His international career has been harder won. Hatate made his senior debut for Japan in March 2022 against Vietnam but has had to be patient for caps, reaching 11 by March 2025. He was part of Japan's squad for the 2024 AFC Asian Cup, where he set up a goal against Iran, only for his tournament to end with injury in the last-16 defeat to Bahrain. He was left out of Japan's squads for both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.