Kyogo Furuhashi was extremely popular at Celtic.
Brought to the club by Ange Postecoglou from Vissel Kobe, the Japanese forward was an instant hit with the fans, for a number of reasons.
The main one was clearly his goalscoring. Under both Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers, Kyogo built up a proven record of scoring decisive goals.
He was also an infectious personality. Fans didn’t hear much from him, but this didn’t stop him leading celebrations after away matches.
Another one of his characteristics was on show in Birmingham City’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday, with one decisive difference.
What Kyogo Furuhashi did for Birmingham vs Sheffield Wednesday
Kyogo’s sportsmanship became a major point of contention in Scotland.
He made a habit out of helping players up from the ground, both from Celtic and the opposition. For some, this was simply him being polite – but this is Scotland. It obviously rubbed some people up the wrong way.
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However, as reported by Birmingham Live, Kyogo’s manners could sometimes have a genuine impact on in-game events.
Their report says: “There was a moment in front of The Tilton when Jay Stansfield went down injured and, instead of waiting for the medics to appear, Kyogo Furuhashi raced over and helped his strike partner to his feet.
“Unfortunately, Stansfield was still feeling the effects 10 minutes later and had to be substituted. But the urgency was there from Kyogo and indeed Blues in those final 10 minutes – plus the nine in stoppage time.”
Birmingham eventually found an equaliser in the ninth minute of stoppage time, thanks to Demarai Gray, who played under Rodgers at Leicester. Kyogo, on the other hand, is still yet to score a Championship goal.
Plenty of Celtic connections at Birmingham City
Kyogo isn’t the only Celtic figure currently at the Blues, but having made a big-money move from Ligue 1 side Rennes this summer, he is certainly the most high-profile.
Birmingham manager Chris Davies is also a familiar name to Hoops fans, having served as assistant to Rodgers in his first spell in Glasgow, following him to Leicester.
Tomoki Iwata is also an ex-Celtic man from Japan at St Andrews, and was one of the standout players from their title-winning League 1 campaign last season.
It doesn’t end there – another figure from Rodgers’ first spell, Patrick Roberts, joined Birmingham on loan on deadline day. A pre-existing relationship with Davies surely played a part there,
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