Hayato Inamura, a skilled defender originally hailing from Japan, was born on 6 May 2002 - making him 23 years old at the time of writing. These days, he plays primarily as a central defender for FC Tokyo. An imposing figure on the pitch, Inamura stands at 5'11" (1.82m) and weighs 11st 4lb (72kg).
According to footballing resource, Transfermarkt, Inamura's market value is estimated around £255k.
In February 2024, Inamura left his home territory to join Albirex Niigata, a team competing in the top tier of Japanese football, the J1 League. Over the course of his debut season with Niigata, Inamura found himself in the starting eleven 12 times in league matches. This notched up to 16 starting appearances just a year later in 2025, during which he also celebrated the milestone of scoring his first career goal.
By July 2025, Inamura's prowess on the field caught the attention of Celtic scouts. The Premiership club in Scotland snapped him up for a bargain fee of around £250k. Though his time in Scotland was short-lived, Inamura managed to contribute to the squad with a single first-team appearance in the 2025 - 2026 season.
In a surprising move, Inamura was then loaned out to FC Tokyo in January 2026. He is set to represent Tokyo’s colours in the 2026 season J1 League as well as the J1 100 Year Vision League, with one starting appearance under his belt in the latter tournament so far.
The lad's globe-trotting football journey from Japan to Scotland, and back to Japan has been commendable, and Celtic fans will be keeping an eye out for his future exploits.
