The global reach of brand Celtic had already been felt by Kyogo Furuhashi long before he arrived in Glasgow.
But he admits it’s a grand old team to play for now he knows the history after spending the last two years as a student of the club. A mutual affection between player and fans has been forged during a goal-laden spell in Scotland. The striker revealed he’s immersed himself in Hoops folklore and is aiming to spread the message back home in the Far East.
He said: “I don’t know if more Japanese people know about the club now we are all here. But I am happy to contribute to the reputation of the club and am looking forward to helping it expand more. Shunsuke Nakamura played here before, so before I came here I knew about the club. All the achievements are recognised worldwide but after joining the club I really started to get to know the history. I was able to know and understand a lot more about Celtic.
“I started to realise the heritage, from the children to older people who have supported the club all their lives. Once I experienced this I started to feel how big the club is.
“When I tell people I play for Celtic everyone recognises the name everywhere, they know the club, the history, all kinds of stuff I hear every day. I have enjoyed every day of my stay here.”
Kyogo has made the net bulge on 29 occasions in all competitions this season. His next challenge is a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday that will be another huge step in Celtic’s quest to make it a Treble-winning campaign.
Ange Postecoglou's side are aiming for only the eighth clean sweep of domestic trophies in the club’s history and Kyogo’s well aware of the magnitude of the Hampden clash.
He said: “The Treble is what everyone wants at the end of the season but we can only focus on each game right now. At the end of the season, if we have managed to do it, that would be good.
“I will be happy if I can be a part of a big moment in the club’s history. But we don’t know if that will happen yet, we will only know that at the end of the season once all of the games are finished.
“I am looking forward to it but I am only thinking about working hard in my next game.”
The 28-year-old has been a haunting figure for the Ibrox club this season having netted three times, including a double in a 2-1 win in February. It’s a run that Kyogo is keen to maintain against Michael Beale’s men and admits he relishes every Old Firm encounter.
He said: “I have enjoyed my games against Rangers so far and hopefully I will enjoy the semi-final as well. I have scored against them this season but it is only because of my team-mates’ hard work.”
Celtic need only look back to last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final loss to their city rivals that denied them the chance of a treble. Kyogo is adamant it will require a huge team effort to clear this hurdle.
He warned: “Each time you lose it feels frustrating – that’s why we train hard and work so hard as a group. We need to unite to get the win and that’s the same for all the games between now and the end of the season.”
Rangers showed in their recent Old Firm outing that they are more than capable of making a fist of the contest and an improvement under Beale has been clear in recent months.
It’s a test for Celtic that Kyogo predicts could be a goal-fest and he admits the Light Blues are a dangerous proposition. He said: “It’s going to be a game where we will both attack and it will be very competitive and tight.
“There might be a lot of goals or less because it’s so competitive. Above all, we know it is going to be tough. The game we played against them before was tough. It will be the same this time. I will just work hard and try to help us get the victory.”
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