Kyogo Furuhashi has been a revelation since joining Celtic two summers ago. The Japanese striker has been a major part of our rebuild and central to retaining the title this season.
Kyogo’s league cup double in last seasons final against Hibs was the springboard to setting Ange Postecglou’s Celtic on course to win the title. And this season the 28-year-old has come with some huge goals to ensure that Celtic remains the dominant team in Scottish football.
But it could have been all so different for the Japanese striker. Kyogo reveals how he almost gave up football in the early stages of his career as he watched schoolmates go on to become professionals.
Kyogo said [The Sun], “I was actually a swimmer from three years old. I tried really hard at swimming and tried to compete in national competitions. But all the kids in the neighbourhood were playing football so I thought, ‘That’s cool’. I started playing too.
“Even at that age I was in front of the goal all the time. Every time I received the ball I’d just shoot and score goals. That was fun for me and it’s how I started playing football.
“At such a young age I just played football for my love of it. But when I got to high school, between 16 and 18, there was a professional footballer in my year.
“Two players came out of my school to become footballers. That’s when I thought, ‘OK, maybe there’s a chance for me’.
“But I was struggling at one point, when no one was really calling me to play for their club.
“When nobody called, I thought about giving up on my career.
“My family were telling me I was trying hard but then I stopped and thought, ‘I’m OK, everyone has supported me all the way through until here and nothing is finished, why give up?’”
It wasn’t until Kyogo got a call from his first club, FC Gifu in 2017 that the Celtic striker’s career took off. Scoring 17 goals in 72 appearances for the J2 side club, Kyogo went on to sign for Vissel Kobe in 2018 and from there, the Japanese striker went from strength to strength.
Kyogo would get his first taste of silverware at Kobe where he won the Japanese Cup (2019) and Japanese Super Cup (2020). He also earned international recognition in 2019 where he won his first cap for Japan in a 4-1 defeat to Venezuela.
Then along came Celtic and the rest, as they say, is history. Kyogo now has the opportunity to add to the four medals he already has to his name at Celtic by winning the Scottish Cup next week to what has been a remarkable two years at the club.
In other news, Red-hot Kyogo says he wants long-term Celtic stay
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