"I was almost crying"; Kyogo's class response to Celtic Park ovation

By David Walton

April 26, 2022

Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has admitted that he was nearly in tears with the ovation he got on his injury return at Parkhead.

The Japanese international was out for over 3 months after picking up a hamstring injury in December. However, he marked his return with a cameo against St Johnstone earlier this month. Brought on for the closing stages, Kyogo was given an incredible welcome back from a delighted Celtic support.

Since then, he’s more than made his mark with another cameo against Rangers and a first goal back at Ross County on Sunday.

He’s also been speaking to Celtic TV, where he picked out the warm reception from supporters as a moment that truly touched his heart:

“Yes, when I returned to the game it was a very, very nice atmosphere. Home game, full stadium – that made me really happy. I was happy warming up and before going onto the pitch, the fans and supporters received me with a big applause. I felt the love of everybody.

“So, I was almost crying because I felt really happy. The team was really good in that game [7-0 win vs St Johnstone]. I just wish I could’ve got a goal”.

Kyogo Furuhashi touched by the Celtic support

It’s fantastic to see just how much the warm reception meant to Kyogo. The Celtic supporters were genuinely elated to see him return, and you can see that the feeling was mutual.

There was something about that particular reintroduction that just gave Celtic extra momentum as a club. His return has just increased confidence levels around the place, and now we look in as good a position as we’ve been injury wise this season.

The only concern was how long it may have taken Kyogo to get back on the scoresheet. Was he, for example, going to go on a barren run? Would the end of the season be a struggle for him as he attempted to get back on track? Not at all. His goal vs County ended any talk of needing time to bed back in.

Now, he’ll be targeting an extremely strong finish to the season. Rangers at Celtic Park lie in wait next, and the Japanese could round off a sensational debut campaign with his first Glasgow derby goal.

It really is the only thing missing for the former Vissel Kobe star. This Sunday’s game takes on extra significance for him, especially if Ange selects him to start.

Regardless, it’s brilliant to have him back for the final few games of the season. Knowing how much the reception he got means to him is even better.

In other news, How Celtic could rattle rivals’ 2022/23 confidence in just 5 days