Reo Hatate opens up on his ‘invisible struggles’ at Celtic

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Reo Hatate has probably been one of the best signings for Celtic over the last ten years or so if not this century.

Brought to the club by Ange Postecoglou in 2021, Reo Hatate made an instant impact with impressive performances and huge goals against Hearts at Tynecastle and in Celtic’s 3-0 annihilation of Rangers in February 2022.

However, whilst everything in the garden looked rosy from the outside, the Japanese midfielder has opened up on his struggles during the early stages of his Celtic career.

Reo Hatate ‘struggled’ at Celtic for six months

Hatate burst onto the Celtic scene as he made his debut in the 2-0 Parkhead win over Hibs in January 2022.

But even though Hatate featured in all but one of Celtic’s games in the second half of his debut season, the Japan international admits he really struggled in the early days of his Glasgow move.

Hatate told Celtic TV, “Well. since I entered the professional world since graduating from college, I haven’t had as long a career as players who turned pro straight out of high school.

“In a way, it feels like things haven’t gone quite as smoothly for me, but I’ve definitely faced challenges. There were times I wasn’t selected for matches and when I first moved abroad I struggled with my conditioning for about six months.

“I’ve had my share of invisible struggles. Still, I’m fortunate enough to have won numerous titles, starting from my time at Kawasaki and now here with Celtic.”

Reo Hatate’s ‘strong drive’ to win titles with Celtic

“Competing for titles has always been a major source of motivation,” continues Hatate, “And it is something I am currently striving for with this team as well.

“I’ve developed a strong drive to win titles since I became a pro; it’s something I don’t want to hand over to others easily.

“The challenges I’ve faced along the way have only strengthened my determination to fight for these achievements. Every title means a lot to me.

“And if all the hardships I’ve endured result in another title, I feel it’s all been worth it.”

In almost three years at Celtic, Hatate has made 103 appearances for the current Scottish champions. In that time the 26-year-old has won three league titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup.

Hatate has also been capped by Japan nine times.

To top that up, Hatate has also tasted plenty of success over Rangers as he has been on the winning Celtic side eight times out of 13, drawing three and losing just three.

Hopefully, now, Hatate’s struggles are firmly behind him and he continues to deliver for Celtic on the pitch because there is absolutely no doubt that when he’s firing on all cylinders, the midfield dynamo is untouchable in Scotland and in Europe.