Daizen Maeda was born in Osaka on 20 October 1997 (age 28), and his career took shape through the less glamorous route of early loan football before he became a serious force at Yokohama F. Marinos. His 2021 league season there was the obvious marker: 23 goals in 36 appearances, enough to make Celtic’s move for him in January 2022 look more like planning than punt.
He joined Celtic from Yokohama F. Marinos and quickly became an important part of the side, mostly from the left but never in a way that felt especially tidy on a tactics board. Maeda’s value was in the running, pressing, awkwardness and end product when it clicked. During his Celtic spell he won four Premiership titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups – a haul that says enough without needing much decoration.
Maeda left Celtic in July 2026 for Ipswich Town in a deal worth around £10m. In 2026-27, he has made one Premier League appearance for Ipswich. He has also remained involved with Japan, making three World Cup appearances with one goal, and seven Asian World Cup qualifying appearances with one goal.
His current market value is around £11m, according to Transfermarkt. His career so far has moved from hard development minutes, to a prolific Yokohama spell, to a trophy-heavy Celtic period, and now into English football with Ipswich.
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