With Celtic’s Japanese stars currently taking part in a tour of their homeland, the club’s popularity in the country has never been higher.
Of course, the current crop of recruits from Japan where not Celtic’s first from the country. The most famous signing from the country was Shunsuke Nakamura. The legendary midfielder was a hit with the Celtic fans as his deadball accuracy helped deliver some of the most iconic moments in Celtic’s history.
But Nakamura wasn’t the only Japanese player that Celtic signed in that era. Koki Mizuno arrived at the club and there was a lot of expectation surrounding the arrival of the highly-rated winger at the time. He was a full Japanese international and at just 22 years old it looked like he had a big future in the game.
But sadly, when he came to Celtic it all seemed to go downhill for him. And the Japanese midfielder has opened up on why he went from being one of Japan’s hottest prospects to one of Celtic’s forgotten men.
Mizuno said [Soccer Digest], “I learnt a lot about Shun’s [Nakamura] stoicism from being around him. Now Celtic is a familiar club in Japan, but back then it was still a distant presence.
“Moreover, when I went there, all the midfielders (Thomas Gravesen, Aidan McGeady, etc.) had won MVPs, and there was a line-up of players at the level of regulars in the national teams, so it was really difficult.
“To top it off, the Scottish League at the time had to have three players under the age of 21 in the 18-man squad. I was 22 at the time, so I couldn’t make it in there, and on top of that, only one player from each position was allowed on the bench as backup, so it was really tough.
“It was my first time moving to an unfamiliar environment, including a rainy pitch, so I knew it would take time to adapt.
“The coach (Gordon) Strachan also thought that way, so I started with the U-21 team. That’s when I got injured. At that time, I saw how stoic Shun was and told myself to stay positive.”
After making just 12 appearances for Celtic, Mizuno eventually left to return to Japan in 2010 and sign for Kashiwa Reysol. He has had a bit of a journeyman career since then and has played for no less than six clubs.
Mizuno is still playing football at the ripe old age of 37. The midfielder is currently at J3 league side Iwate Grulla Morioka.
In other news, Tomoki Iwata sets first-team ambition as Celtic midfielder impresses in Japan
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
