Japanese stars continue to thrive in Europe

Maeda maintains his form at Celtic.

On March 29, the Japanese international scored a brace in Celtic's 3-0 win over Hearts in the 31st round of the Scottish Premiership. This was also Maeda's 30th goal in all competitions for Celtic, the best achievement of his career. The last match also helped Maeda reach the milestone of 150 appearances for Celtic.

Celtic are keen and ready to offer Maeda a new contract. Speaking after the match, manager Brendan Rodgers said: "The board will work with Maeda's representatives. We will do everything we can to convince him to stay."

Previously, the former Liverpool manager also admitted that "Maeda is a deal worth every penny" for Celtic. The Japanese striker joined the team in the summer of 2022 for a fee of only £1.53 million, but now plays an important role in Celtic's attack.

In addition to 30 goals this season, Maeda also contributed 9 assists for the Scottish club in 43 games. In the last 10 games, this striker has scored 12 goals for Celtic.

In February, the BBC described Maeda as "a fighting machine", thanks to his ability to work tirelessly and with great stamina.

"I'm sure there's no one in the world better at pressing high up the pitch than Maeda," Rodgers once said. "When he starts scoring more goals, it's a sign of improvement. He's one of the best defensive forwards in Europe."

On the Scottish league table, Celtic leads with 78 points, 8 points behind Rangers after 31 rounds.

Japanese striker Daizen Maeda impressed at Celtic with a defensive sprint in the 86th minute as Celtic led St Johnstone 6-0 in the sixth round of the Scottish Premiership.

Source: https://znews.vn/sao-nhat-ban-tiep-da-thang-hoa-o-chau-au-post1541848.html