Daizen Maeda, born in Osaka on 20 October 1997 (age 28), is a Japan attacker currently with Celtic, wearing squad number 38. His early career was not a straight line to Glasgow; loan spells formed part of his development before his work at Yokohama F. Marinos gave him a proper platform.
That Yokohama period mattered. In the 2021 league season he scored 23 goals in 36 appearances, the most productive league campaign of his career, and Celtic moved for him in January 2022. It was a deal that made sense quickly enough: Maeda brought pace, pressing and awkward movement, without requiring the game to be built around him.
At Celtic he became an important first-team player rather than a decorative one. Across his spell he won four Premiership titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups, while also finishing runner-up in the Scottish Cup once. His value to the side has often been in the grind as much as the goal return, which is not always glamorous but tends to be noticed when it is missing.
Maeda left Celtic in July 2026 for Ipswich Town in a deal worth around £10m. His spell there was followed by a return to Celtic, where he has since established himself more fully in the side. His current market value is around £11m, according to Transfermarkt.
His career has run from Japan, through a productive Yokohama spell, into a trophy-heavy Celtic period, then briefly to Ipswich before returning to Glasgow. He remains part of the current Celtic squad, still a forward whose best work is usually measured in more than the obvious moments.
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