Tomoki Iwata left Celtic during the summer despite being a likeable presence in the engine room during his 18 months at the club.
The Japan international signed for Birmingham City on deadline day and has since went on to make two appearances under Chris Davies since moving to the West Midlands.
Last night, Iwata stole the show with a stunning left-footed strike at home to Wrexham, putting the seal on a 3-1 victory in front of Tom Brady and David Beckham, among others.
With former Celtic coach Davies praising the former Yokohama F. Marinos man for his ‘helluva strike’ post-match, he has found an ideal environment to kick on after his time in Glasgow. The reaction from Birmingham fans to his arrival has also been good, which is another positive indication.
Unable to contain his excitement, Iwata took to Instagram to share his delight at scoring a brilliant maiden goal for the Sky Bet League One outfit.
Tomoki Iwata takes to Instagram, receives class responses
On the social media platform, Iwata took a moment to dedicate the goal to his son, who turned two a couple of days ago, while thanking Birmingham fans for their support on the night.
He stated: “Thank you to all the fans. What a club. And yesterday, my goal was a present for my son⚽️
He turned two on the 15th. Happy birthday my son.”
In the replies, he would find a few familiar faces from his time at Celtic offering some warm congratulations. Reo Hatate responded with three ‘fire’ emojis, while Greg Taylor gave his seal of approval with three heart-eye emojis in delight at his former colleague.
Retired Celtic icon Joe Hart also got in on the action with a simple ‘Yasss Tomoki’ following his eye-catching strike, taking the Blues to joint-top with Wrexham on 13 points apiece.
Over the course of the season, hopefully Iwata can thrive at St Andrews as the cash-rich outfit look to gain promotion to the English second-tier at the first time of asking.
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