Reo Hatate, born in Japan on 21 November 1997, is a 28-year-old footballer renowned for his prowess as a central midfielder. Currently plying his trade for Celtic in the Scots Premiership, the dynamic midfielder stands at 1.71m (5ft 7in) and weighs in at 70kg (11st). Donning the number 41 jersey, Hatate is not only a vital asset to his club but also represents the Japanese national team.
His skills on the pitch have resulted in a significant market value, which according to Transfermarkt is estimated to be around £10m.
Originally signed by Kawasaki Frontale of the J1 League in Japan in August 2018, Hatate had a slow start with just one first team appearance in the 2019 season. However, he soon proved his worth, making 31 and 30 first team appearances, and scoring five goals in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons respectively.
The start of 2022 saw Hatate make the move to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, transferring for a fee of approximately £1.4m. From the outset, his attacking prowess was put on show as he consistently found the back of the net across multiple seasons. He made 17 first team appearances and netted four goals in the 2021/2022 season - and his following seasons with Celtic proved even more productive, with tallies of 32 appearances and six goals in 2022/2023, 16 appearances and three goals in 2023/2024, 37 appearances and 10 goals in 2024/2025, and, so far in the 2025/2026 season, 23 appearances and one goal.
In addition to his league success, Hatate has also made significant contributions in various other tournaments for both club and country. For Celtic, he played a role in the League Cup and Scottish Cup of the 2025/2026 season, scored a goal over two starts and another appearance from the bench in the former, and started in one game and also made a substitute appearance in the latter. As a representative of Japan, he joined the field once and enjoyed two substitute appearances in the World Cup Qualifiers for Asia between 2024/2026. He was also active in the Champions League Qualifiers for Celtic in 2025/2026, where he started twice, and in the Europa League during the same season, in which he scored three goals over five starts and three substitute appearances.
