Kyogo Furuhashi’s arrival at Celtic finally reconnects the Scottish club with the geographical region that was home to several of their players over a decade ago.
It was no surprise to see new head coach Ange Postecoglou look to the J.League for talent given his recent experience in Japanese football, but from 2005 to 2010, the Bhoys brought in a number of East Asian players with varying degrees of success.
Celtic fans have very fond memories of Shunsuke Nakamura’s time at the club, but it was quite a contrast with the more forgettable stay of his compatriot Koki Mizuno.
After several impressive seasons at Vissel Kobe and breaking into the Japanese national team, the timing seems right for 26-year-old Furuhashi to make the move. He has a hard act to follow in Nakamura, but, in order of impact, here is a look at all of the East Asian players to join Celtic in that period in the second half of the 2000s.
Shunsuke Nakamura
The Japanese playmaker spent four years at Celtic and lifted three league titles and three domestic cups. He was also part of a side that twice reached the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), famously pushing eventual winners AC Milan all the way to extra time in 2007.
Signed by Gordon Strachan in 2005, Nakamura would provide the flair and creative ingenuity in what was a somewhat functional Celtic team that was often greater than the sum of its parts. Strachan had to oversee a rebuild with much cost cutting after the big spending of the Martin O’Neill years and Nakamura was one of the key elements in this policy of identifying talent at lower prices. He proved extremely good value at a price tag of around $US3.5 million from Italian side Reggina.
Nakamura not only played his part in a successful period for the club, he also provided some of the most iconic moments in its recent history. In 2006, he curled home a sensational free kick to earn Celtic a 1-0 victory at home to the star-studded Manchester United of Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Later that season, he fired in an added-time free kick to clinch the 2006-07 Scottish Premier League title at Kilmarnock.
Then, with Celtic struggling in the league the following season, Nakamura’s stunning, swerving drive against Rangers opened the scoring in what would eventually be a 2-1 victory that saw the momentum shift in the title race. The Bhoys went on to take their third consecutive championship on the final day of the season.
Ki Sung-yueng
The South Korean midfielder’s arrival heralded what was to become Celtic’s regular transfer policy – buy young, develop and sell on at a profit.
Ki had just been named Asian Young Footballer of the Year when he moved to Scotland at the beginning of 2010, aged just 21. Having spent several years in Australia as a teenager, the language barrier would not pose a problem, but the switch from the K League to the Scottish Premier League would present a challenge.
Things did not go smoothly to begin with as Tony Mowbray, the manager who signed him, was sacked just a couple of months after his arrival. It took time for Ki to establish himself but he began to make a regular impact in the 2010-11 season.
After a slow start to the campaign, Neil Lennon’s exciting young Celtic side pushed Rangers all the way in the title race but fell just short in a battle that went to the final day of the season. There was consolation in a Scottish Cup final win over Motherwell, with Ki’s thumping long-range strike opening the scoring in his man-of-the match performance.
Ki was also a regular feature in the first team the following season at Celtic, making 30 appearances and scoring six times in Celtic’s victorious league campaign.
His form in Glasgow had attracted the attention of many clubs and he chose to join Swansea City in the English Premier League at the start of the 2012-13 season.
Cha Du-ri
The South Korean international joined Ki at Celtic for the 2010-11 campaign and, while he was admired by fans for the effort he put in, his performances could be somewhat erratic.
He faced competition at his favoured right-back position so was not considered a certain starter for much of his two years at Celtic but he managed 17 league appearances in 2010-11 and 14 in 2011-12, when he picked up a league winner’s medal.
While he is unfortunately remembered for a bizarre own goal in a Europa League tie at Rennes, the most enduring memory of his time at Celtic is his wild celebration after scoring his first goal. With Celtic heading for a frustrating and damaging 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone in December 2010, Cha curled a shot into the corner in added time, ripped off his shirt and did a knee slide towards the Celtic bench before being lost under a pile of bodies.
Zheng Zhi
The Chinese midfielder joined Celtic in 2009 as new boss Tony Mowbray sought to build a team to play in his favoured possession-based style. Mowbray had been eager to sign him during his time at West Bromwich Albion and finally got his man when he moved to Celtic from Charlton Athletic.
Zheng was thrown in at the deep end for a debut against Rangers at Ibrox. He performed well and won the penalty that earned Celtic their goal in a 2-1 defeat. He also found out the hard way about the eccentric refereeing that sometimes marred the fixture as he took a flying kick to the groin from Kyle Lafferty that should have resulted in a yellow card but earned no punishment.
Despite some promising moments, Zheng never fully established himself in a difficult season. Poor form meant Mowbray didn’t see out the season and Zheng would return to China at the end of the season, having made just 16 league appearances, including seven from the bench.
Zheng did leave on a high, however, with his only goal for Celtic. In the final match of the 2009-10 Scottish Premier League campaign, his spectacular strike sealed a 2-1 win at Hearts.
Koki Mizuno
The young Japanese winger was brought to Celtic from JEF United in 2008 as the club hoped that the 22-year-old would develop his talent alongside Nakamura.
He started his career in Glasgow in the reserve team but finally made his first-team breakthrough, replacing Scott McDonald in a match against Motherwell in October 2008. Things looked good when Mizuno capped an impressive performance with an excellent goal (assisted by Nakamura) on his first start at Falkirk two months later.
Mizuno started the following week’s 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox, but that would be the last of just two starts for Celtic. For some reason, he never recovered the form he showed in those two matches, but nor was he given much opportunity. He made just 11 appearances overall, nine from the bench.
Du Wei
The Chinese defender’s short loan spell at Celtic is remembered only for the calamitous 45 minutes he was on the pitch.
The Scottish Cup tie at second-tier Clyde in January 2006 received much attention as it was Roy Keane’s debut. While it looked a straightforward task for the leaders of the Premier League, they were completely overrun in the first half, going 2-0 down and fortunate not to have conceded more.
Du Wei was relieved to see a Clyde goal disallowed early in the match after being outmuscled in the build-up but winning a controversial free kick. He then conceded a penalty after being caught out by a long ball. Artur Boruc saved the penalty but the visitors were two goals behind at the break and Du Wei was substituted at half-time, never to be seen in the first team again.
It had taken a while for Du Wei to get his chance and perhaps a cup tie against a lower-tier team was felt to be a gentle introduction. It turned out to be a traumatic experience and the loan deal from Shanghai Shenhua was soon cut short.
Photo: Celtic FC
Scott, Michael and Paul discuss Ange Postecoglou’s move from Yokohama F.Marinos to Celtic on Episode 69 of The Asian Game podcast
