Celtic star reveals how he found out about World Cup call-up

Celtic fans will have to do without club football for more than a month, as the World Cup will be played in the middle of the season this time around. They will have the opportunity to see some of their players perform at the biggest footballing tournament on the planet though, which is a great experience in itself.

Japan recently announced their squad for the World Cup in Qatar, with Celtic star Daizen Maeda making the cut for the Asian side, even though Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate were left out, despite being expected to be picked due to their form in the Hoops.

Maeda joined Celtic on a loan deal in the 2022 winter transfer window from Yokohama F. Marinos. In his first season, the Japanese star won the Scottish Premiership with the Hoops, and certainly played his part in the triumph.

Eventually, the club did sign him on a permanent deal in the summer, and handed the Japan international a contract until the summer of 2026.

Celtic star reveals how he found out about World Cup call-up

Although it has been a topsy-turvy start to the domestic season for the forward with only three goals to his name till now, his all-around functionality to the team put him in a favourable position in terms of making his case in front of the Japan national team head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, who has rewarded the player with his first World Cup call-up.

As reported by NHK (via 67 Hail Hail), Maeda said:

"“It was 5 o’clock in the morning in Scotland, so I was sleeping, and my wife was watching the announcement conference with an alarm. When I woke up, my wife jumped up and said, ‘You did it!’”"

Japan have found their place in a pretty tough group, with teams such as Germany, Spain and Costa Rica considered the favourites to go through to the next round of the prestigious tournament. Nevertheless, with the purpose of beating the odds, they will begin their World Cup campaign with an encounter against Germany on November 23.