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Interview

Flying the flag

One of four Japanese players at Celtic, Kyogo Furuhashi has led the Glasgow club to domestic glory and is now out to make his mark in the Champions League

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Last season was your first as a player in the Champions League – how was that for you?

It really comes down to scoring goals when the chance presents itself and defending well when the other team has the momentum. I experienced those two aspects a lot last season. It’s obvious, but the level of competition in the Champions League is extremely high. Last year, we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t manage to score goals and we were also constantly conceding goals when we shouldn’t have been. It could have just been luck, but we really learned individually and as a team that those small things are important. I personally had my chances too, but I didn’t manage to score goals. And it’s not just about scoring goals, I want to create chances for myself and the team. I definitely thought I needed to get better.

One of the most famous figures in Celtic’s Champions League history is former Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura – was he a big influence on you growing up?

To tell you the truth, I never watched Shunsuke Nakamura play in the Champions League. But I now play for the same club that he did, and I’ve seen loads of videos on YouTube and online of his free-kicks and the rest. When I first joined Celtic, people were talking about him a lot, so I really got a sense of the impact he had here. His achievements are a strong motivation for me to play here. I cannot predict the future. I would love to be held in the same regard as him one day but for now, I am just focusing on what’s right in front of me, contributing with goals and assists to get the win for my team. If I keep doing this, maybe people will think of me as a legend one day. I just really want to enjoy my time here. 

What are your targets and ambitions as a Celtic player? 

We have already missed the chance to win one trophy [Scottish League Cup] but we still have two more to fight for [Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup], so I hope we secure those two. The other target is to win at least one game in the Champions League. From there, we can hopefully string a few results together and can aim to qualify for the knockout stages. We need to focus on one game at a time. When it comes to personal goals, I scored a lot of goals last year so I want to keep scoring goals for the team and would like to develop even further so I can hopefully be the Player of the Season once again. 

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Flying the flag
Interview

Flying the flag

One of four Japanese players at Celtic, Kyogo Furuhashi has led the Glasgow club to domestic glory and is now out to make his mark in the Champions League

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Penalty Pedigree

Etiam erat velit scelerisque in dictum non. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at. Scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo. Nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl. Nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. At urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Leo a diam sollicitudin tempor id eu nisl nunc mi. Dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque. In arcu cursus euismod quis. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at lectus urna duis. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus. At tempor commodo ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum sed arcu non. Ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Vitae sapien pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Eget nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis. Ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus quam. Elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium viverra suspendisse potenti.

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Last season was your first as a player in the Champions League – how was that for you?

It really comes down to scoring goals when the chance presents itself and defending well when the other team has the momentum. I experienced those two aspects a lot last season. It’s obvious, but the level of competition in the Champions League is extremely high. Last year, we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t manage to score goals and we were also constantly conceding goals when we shouldn’t have been. It could have just been luck, but we really learned individually and as a team that those small things are important. I personally had my chances too, but I didn’t manage to score goals. And it’s not just about scoring goals, I want to create chances for myself and the team. I definitely thought I needed to get better.

One of the most famous figures in Celtic’s Champions League history is former Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura – was he a big influence on you growing up?

To tell you the truth, I never watched Shunsuke Nakamura play in the Champions League. But I now play for the same club that he did, and I’ve seen loads of videos on YouTube and online of his free-kicks and the rest. When I first joined Celtic, people were talking about him a lot, so I really got a sense of the impact he had here. His achievements are a strong motivation for me to play here. I cannot predict the future. I would love to be held in the same regard as him one day but for now, I am just focusing on what’s right in front of me, contributing with goals and assists to get the win for my team. If I keep doing this, maybe people will think of me as a legend one day. I just really want to enjoy my time here. 

What are your targets and ambitions as a Celtic player? 

We have already missed the chance to win one trophy [Scottish League Cup] but we still have two more to fight for [Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup], so I hope we secure those two. The other target is to win at least one game in the Champions League. From there, we can hopefully string a few results together and can aim to qualify for the knockout stages. We need to focus on one game at a time. When it comes to personal goals, I scored a lot of goals last year so I want to keep scoring goals for the team and would like to develop even further so I can hopefully be the Player of the Season once again. 

Since you came to Celtic you have had a great impact on the team and your performances have been excellent. You must be thrilled?

It’s all down to the staff and my team-mates who support me day in, day out. I would not be able to perform this consistently if I didn’t have their support. This allows me to play with confidence for my team and for those people who always have my back. I’m only taking small steps at a time but I’m definitely climbing every day. 

Furuhashi celebrating his opening goal against Lazio (top); Fans flying the Japanese flag at Celtic Park (above)

Did you always dream of playing in the Champions League?

The Champions League is a competition that everyone is inspired by, including me. When I was a student, I used to watch it on TV. Because of the time difference, they showed it really early in the morning, so I would wake up early and switch it on when it was still dark. It is a strange feeling to now be playing in the tournament that I had always been dreaming about. But now, since I am playing in this competition, I want to do my best and make my mark one way or another, both as a team and as an individual. 

Penalty Pedigree

Etiam erat velit scelerisque in dictum non. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at. Scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo. Nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl. Nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. At urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Leo a diam sollicitudin tempor id eu nisl nunc mi. Dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque. In arcu cursus euismod quis. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at lectus urna duis. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus. At tempor commodo ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum sed arcu non. Ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Vitae sapien pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Eget nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis. Ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus quam. Elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium viverra suspendisse potenti.

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