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Daizen Maeda

Discussion in 'Celtic Chat' started by Callum McGregor, Dec 31, 2021.

Discuss Daizen Maeda in the Celtic Chat area at TalkCeltic.net.

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Double Dutch

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Notorious said: ↑

DAIZEN MAEDA admits he once behaved like a bit of a doughball during his high school days.

But a year-long ban from football and a part-time job in a BAKERY set him on the path to the World Cup with Japan

Maeda, 25, was a promising teenager when indiscipline saw him expelled from the prestigious Yamanashi Gakuin University’s high school team for 12 months.

The Celtic star admits the penny dropped as he trained alone in the mountains and took on a job making curry bread in a local shop.

Coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga’s hardline stance taught Maeda a valuable lesson and the Hoops striker reckons it was the making of him.

He said: “If it wasn’t for that one year, I don’t think I would be playing football like this now. Until then, I was doing naughty things, and I really only thought about myself on and off the pitch.

Maeda, 25, was a promising teenager when indiscipline saw him expelled from the prestigious Yamanashi Gakuin University’s high school team for 12 months.

The Celtic star admits the penny dropped as he trained alone in the mountains and took on a job making curry bread in a local shop.

Coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga’s hardline stance taught Maeda a valuable lesson and the Hoops striker reckons it was the making of him.

He said: “If it wasn’t for that one year, I don’t think I would be playing football like this now. Until then, I was doing naughty things, and I really only thought about myself on and off the pitch.

In that year, I learned I can’t do anything on my own, and I can play with the support of many people, and the importance of running for the team. It all connected.

“When I was expelled from the team, I didn’t know if I would be able to return at any time. I loved football and I didn’t want to quit football, and if I transferred schools it would be like going giving up.

“I stayed and trained alone. There was a mountain near my school and I would run there, and also around the field.

“There was an * team in the area and I was eventually allowed to train with them, so I was grateful.

Around that time, I started working part-time at a local bakery in the mornings. Before going to school, I used to wake up at 5am and ride my bike to get there at 5.30.

"I would fry curry bread but sometimes I would make holes when turning it over with chopsticks — I really made many mistakes!

“After a year, I was told that I could return to the football team from scratch. There was another classmate who was expelled with me, so for a while we worked on various things and gradually joined the general training.

“I haven’t forgotten that period and how everyone worked to help me, including the people at the bakery. It was very important for me.”

In that year, I learned I can’t do anything on my own, and I can play with the support of many people, and the importance of running for the team. It all connected.

“When I was expelled from the team, I didn’t know if I would be able to return at any time. I loved football and I didn’t want to quit football, and if I transferred schools it would be like going giving up.

“I stayed and trained alone. There was a mountain near my school and I would run there, and also around the field.

“There was an * team in the area and I was eventually allowed to train with them, so I was grateful.

Around that time, I started working part-time at a local bakery in the mornings. Before going to school, I used to wake up at 5am and ride my bike to get there at 5.30.

"I would fry curry bread but sometimes I would make holes when turning it over with chopsticks — I really made many mistakes!

“After a year, I was told that I could return to the football team from scratch. There was another classmate who was expelled with me, so for a while we worked on various things and gradually joined the general training.

“I haven’t forgotten that period and how everyone worked to help me, including the people at the bakery. It was very important for me.”

Maeda’s career has been on the rise ever since and he is now in contention to start Japan’s World Cup opener with Germany on Wednesday.

He wishes that his Celtic pals Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi were with him but he wants to do the nation proud in Qatar.

He said: “Yes, I feel sorry for them both.

“It’s a shame they are not going to the World Cup but I will do my best on behalf of them in Qatar.

“I think we have a chance. The first game that we have against Germany will be very important.

“We are targeting victory in that match and hopefully that will put us in a good rhythm.

“Celtic and the national team have very different playing styles so I need to adjust my game.

“It puts different demands on me mentally and physically but I need to adapt to play well.

“My full focus is on Japan. Once I finish international duty my focus will return to Celtic

Hopefully I will still have plenty of energy for the games when I come back but I am not thinking about that too much at the moment.”

Maeda is one of four Celtic players at the Qatar finals and he hopes Aaron Mooy, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josip Juranovic have success with their countries.

He said: “We are all in different groups so I think we will be wanting each other to do well.

Hopefully we can all qualify and we will get a chance to play against each other in the later rounds.

It would be very exciting to make it through the group stage and come up against one of my team-mates.”
Click to expand...

Your copy and pasting abilities are on a par wae Giakoumakis' penalty taking abilities.

Double Dutch, Nov 20, 2022

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Bob Loblaw Gold Member Gold Member

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Double Dutch said: ↑

Your copy and pasting abilities are on a par wae Giakoumakis' penalty taking abilities.
Click to expand...

Shots fired.

Bob Loblaw, Nov 20, 2022

#2362

NakamuraTastic and Double Dutch like this.
JamesM09

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Double Dutch said: ↑

Your copy and pasting abilities are on a par wae Giakoumakis' penalty taking abilities.
Click to expand...

Ironic coming from you, DOUBLE Dutch!

JamesM09, Nov 20, 2022

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Double Dutch

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JamesM09 said: ↑

Ironic coming from you, DOUBLE Dutch!
Click to expand...

Poor from you mate.

Double Dutch, Nov 20, 2022

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Double Dutch said: ↑

Poor from you mate.
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You’re right. You’re.. right.

JamesM09, Nov 20, 2022

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EddieBhoy1986

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He has been speaking very highly of Harry Kewell, credits Harry with him enjoying his football again. Was complimentary of all the coaches actually but singled Kewell out as being particularly important for him. No bad thing that we have a coach with good people skills given Ange is on record as keeping his distance emotionally. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport.../daizen-maeda-heartfelt-celtic-thank-28533525

"I had some difficulties at the start of the season but there's amazing support from the coaches at Celtic. I've been working extra with them and they've all helped me but especially Harry. He's been sharing some experiences with me and we watch videos together. In my time in football I've never had a coach like him. It's thanks to him I'm enjoying playing again. He's really good at establishing relationships with the players and we'll sit down together and go through where I can be better and we go work on it."

EddieBhoy1986, Nov 21, 2022

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EddieBhoy1986 said: ↑

He has been speaking very highly of Harry Kewell, credits Harry with him enjoying his football again. Was complimentary of all the coaches actually but singled Kewell out as being particularly important for him. No bad thing that we have a coach with good people skills given Ange is on record as keeping his distance emotionally. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport.../daizen-maeda-heartfelt-celtic-thank-28533525

"I had some difficulties at the start of the season but there's amazing support from the coaches at Celtic. I've been working extra with them and they've all helped me but especially Harry. He's been sharing some experiences with me and we watch videos together. In my time in football I've never had a coach like him. It's thanks to him I'm enjoying playing again. He's really good at establishing relationships with the players and we'll sit down together and go through where I can be better and we go work on it."
Click to expand...

Ange said he sent him out to do alot of the media stuff in Oz for a reason

Ziggy, Nov 21, 2022

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NakamuraTastic

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EddieBhoy1986 said: ↑

He has been speaking very highly of Harry Kewell, credits Harry with him enjoying his football again. Was complimentary of all the coaches actually but singled Kewell out as being particularly important for him. No bad thing that we have a coach with good people skills given Ange is on record as keeping his distance emotionally. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport.../daizen-maeda-heartfelt-celtic-thank-28533525

"I had some difficulties at the start of the season but there's amazing support from the coaches at Celtic. I've been working extra with them and they've all helped me but especially Harry. He's been sharing some experiences with me and we watch videos together. In my time in football I've never had a coach like him. It's thanks to him I'm enjoying playing again. He's really good at establishing relationships with the players and we'll sit down together and go through where I can be better and we go work on it."
Click to expand...

Excellent! (Said in a Mr Burns voice)

NakamuraTastic, Nov 21, 2022

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SwissCelt

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Hopefully shots down the Germans tomorrow! Up Daizen the Samurai!
SwissCelt, Nov 22, 2022

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Notorious Gold Member Gold Member

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Starts up top against the Germans

Notorious, Nov 23, 2022

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honda Gold Member Gold Member

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Yass I'll watch then. Mon Japan!!

honda, Nov 23, 2022

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I’ll give it a watch, surprised they didn’t take Hatate & Kyogo even if its coming off the bench

AdamRS, Nov 23, 2022

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Surprised if he starts up top, in his time with us he's shown to be much more effective coming in from wide, his pressing from the front could be invaluable but you'd think at international level they'd have a more clinical finisher in there.

Scrappiest hat-trick in world cup history incoming, is what I'm trying to say.

horseshoe, Nov 23, 2022

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Should score 3 against Germany

cidermaster, Nov 23, 2022

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Roadrunner Gold Member Gold Member

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Ha! Miles offside though

Roadrunner, Nov 23, 2022

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paulie walnuts Gold Member Gold Member

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Poor awareness from Maeda. Should have stayed on and still scored.

paulie walnuts, Nov 23, 2022

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bhoy_wonder Gold Member Gold Member

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Ahhh ffs Daizen thought that was him up and running.

bhoy_wonder, Nov 23, 2022

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CookieMonster Geez yer cookies Gold Member

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Doesn’t need to go that early! Too keen to get in behind.

CookieMonster, Nov 23, 2022

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CookieMonster Geez yer cookies Gold Member

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Germany are wide open on the counter, Maeda will get more chances.

CookieMonster, Nov 23, 2022

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Sean Daleer Free Palestine Gold Member

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I know he was offside but where the * did the finish come from? It that was us he would have slid past the ball, hit him in the face, off both posts and into the keepers hands

Sean Daleer, Nov 23, 2022

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