Daizen Maeda, a talented forward primarily known for his performances as a left winger, was born on the 20th of October 1997 in Japan. Now aged 28, he currently plays for Celtic Football Club and wears the number 38 jersey. Measuring at 5ft 8in (1.73m) in height and weighing 10st 9lb (68kg), Maeda has proven himself on the field both domestically and globally, having also represented his home country's national team.
According to Transfermarkt, Maeda's current market value stands around the £12m mark. A career that began with Matsumoto Yamaga in the Japanese lower leagues in January 2016, where he made nine first-team appearances during his debut season.
In January 2017, Maeda was transferred on loan to Mito Hollyhock of the J2 League, where he scored eight goals across his 20 first-team appearances. Upon completion of his loan in January 2018, he returned to Matsumoto Yamaga.
Not one to stay put for long, Maeda was transferred on loan to Marítimo in the Liga Portugal 2 in July 2019. Here, he continued to make his mark, scoring three goals across 23 first team appearances. In August 2020, Maeda left Matsumoto Yamaga permanently to join Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League for an undisclosed fee.
His first season with Yokohama F. Marinos saw him make 23 first team appearances and score three goals. However, it was in the next season, 2021, that exploded onto the scene, scoring an impressive 23 goals in 36 appearances.
It was in January 2022 that Maeda's career path led him to Celtic. An initially tentative first season saw him score six goals in 16 appearances. The 2022-2023 season saw him find the net eight times in 35 outings.
The transfer from Yokohama F. Marinos to Celtic became permanent in July 2022, for a fee of around £1.5m. Maeda's time at Celtic Park has allowed him to become a consistent performer, bagging six goals in 28 matches for the 2023 - 2024 season, 16 in 34 matches in the 2024 - 2025 season and, in the current 2025 - 2026 season, he's already scored seven times in 24 matches.
Maeda's involvement extends beyond league matches. He played in the League Cup 2025 - 2026 for Celtic, scoring once across three starts and one appearance as a substitute. He also represented Japan in the World Cup Qualifiers Asia 2024 - 2026, netting a goal across two starts and five substitute appearances. Furthermore, he was involved in the Champions League Qualifiers 2025 - 2026 and the Europa League 2025 - 2026 for Celtic.
