Reo Hatate is an immensely popular player amongst the Celtic fans.
The Japanese midfielder brought dynamism, flair and immense talent to Scotland when Ange Postecoglou brought him over from Japan.
And since Hatate‘s 2021 move, he has picked up numerous domestic honours in just over three years.
Three league titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup gave Hatate his first-ever winners medals in football.
His accomplishments with Celtic not only further enhanced his standing with the Japan national side manager, Hajime Moriyasu, but also made him an instant fan favourite.
And here he shares exactly what the Celtic fans do whenever he meets them outside of Parkhead.
Hatate praises ‘amazing’ Celtic fans
When inside the stadium playing for Celtic, Hatate is a hero to all the Hoops support so when they meet him outside of his workplace, the respect he gets is brilliant.
When asked if he gets approached by the Celtic fans, Hatate said [Sportiva], “Yes, because they are all very passionate about football.
“Everyone is so passionate about football. For example, if I go to a café on the day off after a match, I am approached by people, and if there is a Celtic fan among the café staff, they sometimes say things like, ‘You don’t have to pay for the coffee, just drink it’.
“I think that kind of enthusiasm is amazing!”
The Celtic fans adore Hatate and he was sorely missed when he was out for much of last season with a hamstring injury.
Now back and fully fit, the 26-year-old will be crucial to Celtic’s defence of the title and the Scottish Cup and will also be pivotal to Brendan Rodgers’ desire to improve the club’s standing in Europe.
With guaranteed Champions League group-stage football to come, Hatate has the motivation to help that ambition if he ever wants to realise his dream of playing in the Premier League in England.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
