Maeda Silences His Critics One By One. He Is A Huge Player For Both Celtic And Japan.

Daizen Maeda has probably had as many Celtic critics as any player in the current team with the exception of Greg Taylor. He is definitely one of the most misunderstood Celtic players since Giorgios Samaras.

The big Greek was the last player I remember whose work-rate and quality were so ignored by people who simply did not like something they saw.

I was pretty surprised last week when I read that a former Japanese international had slagged him off though, and I have to admit that my first instinct was to find out if it was actually true.

We know that his point was not that Maeda is a bad player but that he cannot understand why the Japanese national coach prefers him to Kyogo.

A lot of us have asked the same question. Is there a personal thing here?

We also know that The Record and other Scottish titles are not beyond twisting someone’s words to get the quotes that they want. Alexander Bernabei is only the latest victim of this.

So it’s not impossible that these comments were also taken out of context in some way. Yet even if they weren’t, I don’t know why the comparison was made.

A lot of Celtic fans I know remained unconvinced by Maeda until his sterling performance in the World Cup. There, he showed every bit of his brilliance. I think he has terrorised the Ibrox club. I think his pace terrifies most teams which play against us, and it’s no coincidence that our displays have improved markedly since he’s been back in the side.

He does so much in games, not just on the ball but off the ball as well and I think it’s that work he does without it which makes him truly effective, and not everyone sees that.

To me it’s just daft to wonder why he’s picked for Japan. I think Kyogo should be as well, but that’s a different argument and it’s why I consider the comparison to be a bit daft … it should be obvious, especially to a former player, who Maeda brings to a team.

Greg Taylor spoke very well in his defence the other day. I was glad to see that. I think it’s amusing that two of the most critiqued players in this team play on the same side of the pitch and have been amongst our best partnerships of the last couple of years.

Maeda proved his worth to Celtic these past few weeks, including with his hat-trick. This week he proved himself to Japan by turning in a great performance in their latest win.

He’s back to his peak fitness and readiness, just in time for another starring role in a massive series of games. We are lucky to have him.

It blows my mind how many don’t realise it.