Daizen Maeda, born on 20th October 1997 in Japan, serves prominently as a forward and a left winger for Celtic. At the age of 28, the footballer contributes significantly with his compact frame, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall (1.73m) and weighing 10 stone 9 pounds (68kg). He continues to make his presence known with the number 38 shirt on his back. Additionally, Maeda has enjoyed the honour of representing his native country, Japan on the international stage.
According to Transfermarkt, Maeda's current market value stands estimably at £11.5m which can be debated as an accurate reflection of his performance's worth (source).
Maeda's professional career began in earnest in 2016 when he joined Matsumoto Yamaga, a club in the lower leagues of Japanese football. Despite the early thrust into the professional scene, he demonstrated promise with nine first-team appearances in his debut season. This was followed by an impressive 2019 season where he scored two goals in his 18 appearances.
The following year, Maeda was loaned to Mito Hollyhock in Japan's J2 League. His perseverance and growing prowess caught attention as he scored eight times during his 20 stints for the club. Post his loan spell, he resumed with Matsumoto Yamaga to continue his noticeable growth in the game.
His talent was recognised outside Japan when Maeda was loaned to Marítimo in Portugal's Liga Portugal 2 in July 2019 and continued his scoring spree with three goals in 23 appearances. Upon his return, he did not resume his spot at Matsumoto Yamaga, instead opting for a fresh challenge. Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League secured his services for an undisclosed fee, where Maeda outperformed his past scores with 23 goals in 36 appearances in 2021.
It was in January 2022 when Celtic seized the opportunity to secure a loan deal for Maeda. Over a span of four seasons at Celtic, Maeda proved his value with consistent performances and recognizable growth. His time with the Bhoys bears prolific narratives. In the 2021-2022 season, he made a splendid debut by scoring six goals in 16 appearances. His momentum carried forward into subsequent seasons where he scored 8, 6, 16, and 7 goals respectively, from 2022 through the current 2025-2026 season. Additional data suggests a performance spanning multiple leagues - the League Cup, World Cup Qualifiers Asia, Champions League Qualifiers and Europa League - underlining the global magnitude of his skill.
A permanent move to Celtic at last came to fruition in July 2022 with a transfer fee of around £1.4m sealing the deal. His contributions to Celtic in the Premiership have been notably admired, with the current 2025-2026 season seeing him score seven goals in 20 first-team appearances.
