Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has revealed that he wants to make it easier for Japanese players to succeed at Celtic as he addressed the impact Shunsuke Nakamura had in Glasgow.
Kyogo has made a storming start to his Hoops career after a debut season that has left many Hoops supporters speechless. The former Vissel Kobe man rattled home as many as 20 goals in 33 games [Transfermarkt]. That was despite the fact he was out for 3 months of the season too.
Kyogo was then joined back in January by fellow ex J-League stars in Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, and Yosuke Ideguchi respectively. The former 2 making a positive impact during the second half of the season.
And Furuhashi is hoping to continue building the reputation Japanese players have at Celtic Park as he touched on Naka’s legacy. As quoted by Number Web, Kyogo said: “In the beginning, every time I met a fan, they would say, ‘Shunsuke, Shunsuke! and what Shunsuke has built here is truly amazing. But I didn’t feel so much pressure to be compared. I am just me, and my playing style and position are different from Shunsuke’s.
“If I continue to be myself, I will be able to build on the same foundation. And I think that many people will have an image of Kyogo Furuhashi. I want to create an environment that is easy for other Japanese to enter when they come back.
“Celtic has a strong impression of Shunsuke and Mizuno, so I have to do my best not to ruin the image of those two. There were great players who played here, so I will do my best to live up to their name. By doing so, I will create an environment that will be easy for other Japanese to enter when they come back. I want to make the local fans think that Japanese people are great.”
Kyogo Furuhashi wants to leave a legacy at Celtic
Hopefully this is a strong sign that Kyogo is in it for the long haul at Celtic. He clearly appears settled at Parkhead and simply grateful for the opportunity to succeed in Europe.
You can see why the comparisons were made with Nakamura of course. He was the last great Japanese talent to succeed in Glasgow and is the most famous one to ever play for the club. It was always going to be the case that Furuhashi was measured on a similar scale.
But the reality is it’s probably a touch unfair. Both men are completely different players who bring different qualities to the table. Comparing both doesn’t really do anyone any good and can just throw unnecessary pressure on Kyogo. Thankfully, he seems to have gotten through it no problem so far.
You could say that he was already making it easier for Japanese players to integrate into Celtic given the impressive displays of Maeda and Hatate. Celtic supporters had high expectations of both with the duo also becoming big heroes amongst the fanbase.
But we all hope this is just the beginning. Winning the league championship was brilliant, but there’s so much more for the likes of Kyogo to achieve in Glasgow.
Next season isn’t far away, and the expectation levels placed on Furuhashi are big. You get the feeling that’s exactly the way he likes it.
In other news, Reo Hatate identifies the big improvement he wants to make at Celtic next season
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