Furuhashi, Kyogo

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Personal

Name: Kyogo Furuhashi
aka: Furuhashi Kyogo, Kyogo
Born: 20 January 1995
Birthplace: Nara, Japan
Signed: 16 July 2021 (est £3.5m)
Left: 27 January 2025 (to Rennes, est €12m est £10m+)
Position: Centre-Forward
Debut: Hearts 2-1 Celtic, SP, 31 July 2021
Squad No.: 8
Internationals: Japan
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]

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Biog

“This football club and him were a match made in heaven.”
Ange Postecoglou on Kyogo (Dec 2021)

New Celtic manager Ange Postecoglu pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this surprise signing as there was no heads up prior to Kyogo’s arrival in July 2021.  This was clearly entirely an Ange Postecoglu signing, and Kyogo had some weight on his shoulders as the move was seen as possibly demonstrating the new manager’s philosophy.

Kyogo was an exciting talent arriving at a peak age, and was the top scorer in Japan.  He could play across the front three, was highly mobile and technical, and so the initial opinion on him was positive, but Scottish football was a new challenge as was the new culture with all that goes with it. He arrived at a Celtic in transition and at a low ebb, so a lot to work on. He’d been well schooled by playing alongside Spanish footballing great Iniesta in Japan, so he had some learning pedigree.

Debut season (2021/22)
He incredibly hit the ground at lightning speed at Celtic, after a delay for international quarantine for covid travel restrictions. He scored his first goal in a 4-2 win over FK Jablonec in the Uefa cup and then incredibly scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Dundee in his home league debut match, the same day as the Tokyo Olympics ended in a gold medal laden tournament for the Japanese, but Kyogo stole many headlines with his performance.

From there he was pulling Celtic forward in the new era under Ange especially in the difficult first few months which saw some admittedly concerning performances as Sevco pulled ahead in the league. Kyogo scored class goals and often was seen as being the one to keep Celtic afloat.

The greatest highlight was effectively winning Celtic the league cup final v Hibs. After Celtic went behind he equalised with some slick ball play just a minute later, and then went on to seal the victory with a sublime World class chip over the goalkeeper to grab the winning goal.

Kyogo is literally always in space. He’s a few yards out and not a defender near him. Such an intelligent player using his pace and skill to win the advantage and play the pass too when needed. Admittedly a little lightweight physically meaning he could be pushed off the ball too easily but he made up for that with his other assets.

Disaster struck when he was lost due to injury in December 2021 which extended for months (after being played in a match he should have been left out of). However Celtic were spurred on by the arrival of the Japanese contingent, who likely would never have had the opportunity if wasn’t for Kyogo’s success.

His tally despite missing half the season through injury was still an excellent 20 goals in 33 games! For some he was the one who most revitalised Celtic’s league title challenge, and helped get the supporters off their seats.

Second Season (2022/23)

“Thank you for this amazing season and your awesome support!! This one is for you, Celts!”
Kyogo Furahashi (June 2023)

When everyone expected him to push on in the next season, he admittedly had quite a stop start set of performances early on. What was needed was to see Kyogo make a mark on the bigger platforms, most notably against Sevco and in the Champions League. Yet, firstly in the Champions League he was seen to be overawed by the occasions in a Celtic side that soon was to flatter to deceive. He left little good impression which admittedly was sore to see.

As a player, the pace and skill was there but arguably little advancement since his early days with some even arguing that Giakoumakis should be ahead for the first team spot place. Kyogo’s off-ball movement was still top class, just needed the confidence to do it at the top level to bang them in, and consistently.

Domestically, once he did get his form back, his domestic scoring record was phenomenal, yet a big step up was craved by all. He finally scored v Sevco to get that monkey off his back, a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw in the Ne’er Day Derby (Jan 2023) which effectively ended their league title challenge. His response after that goal is what stood out most demonstrating a winner’s mentality. After equalising, he went straight for the ball, to hasten the restart and to get the win rather than just celebrate his goal.

Having found his form, he scored consistently (34 in total for the season) and was a key player in the league title and both of the two cup finals (scoring in both) that helped Celtic to the domestic treble.  He had this knack from out of nowhere to find space, a burst of pace, and then to nip in and score a wonderful goal. He scared defenders despite his lack of physical size! A truly class player.

One of the humorous points was that Sevco fans after the first season used that chide that he was vastly over-rated, and referenced that Kyogo had failed to score against him in the first season. They were to regret that in this second season, with Kyogo scoring five goals against them, including two including two doubles, one of which was in the 2-1 league cup final victory. All done with a lovable smile on his face.

He deservedly won the player of the season across various awards, even though there was very strong competition from fellow Celts (e.g. Hatate & CCV).  World Soccer magazine (Apr 2023) was pinpointed as one “of the stars of the season from outside of Europe’s top 5 leagues”.

He was a pivotal player for Postecoglu, arguably the most important. When things were rocky at the start, it was Kyogo’s form that helped to turn the sceptics round, and led to the confidence to bring in further players from the East Asian markets. He did this without being necessarily the biggest or strongest, he just got on with his job.   To play the way Postecoglu wanted to play, the team needed exciting new forwards to make it work, and Furahashi was the man handpicked by Postecoglou to fill in that role.

Third Season (2023/24)

“I’ve been trying to get people to remember my name at Celtic. And I’ve been playing hard, hoping that my name will be engraved in the history of Celtic one day.”
Kyogo Furuhashi

Despite his sponsor having moved on to Spurs, Kyogo signed on to Celtic for the long term at the start of the season which raised everyone’s spirits. He was a favoured son, and as was to be the case, he was desperately needed as the season swayed heavily

As ever he gave his all, and his scoring rate started out as good as ever, scoring the notable key goal in the 1-0 away win v Sevco in September 2023, and everyone felt he was going to have a stellar season.

However, his goal return swayed and was underpar relative to previous seasons but this was not necessarily due to his lack of effort. A spate of injuries across the squad meant that key assist providers like Abada, Maeda and Hatate were lost, and the manager’s new tactics in particular were not seen to be suiting Kyogo. If he wasn’t being given the support or supply from his colleagues, then there was little more he could do. Rodgers himself seemed to acknowledge the poor return from the wingers supplying the assists when he pinpointed the aged Forrest as the best winger at the club (interpreted as a not very subtle dig by some).

Around the late autumn and early winter period, he seemed to lose his form, and that was fully reflected by not just his scoring but also the downward trend in results  that saw Celtic on course to squander what was at one point a wide points gap in the league.

As Celtic’s key (if not sole) striker and goal scorer, there was an over-reliance on Kyogo, with young Oh unable to step up adequately to cover for his colleague.  Once Idah arrived on the scene, it was felt it gave Kyogo some breathing space, both were very different players, so if one was struggling the other could come in.

He scored a world class winner v Sevco in a 2-1 win (Dec 2023), and was praised to the hilt. Yet to the bafflement of all, again he wasn’t selected in the Japanese squad for the forthcoming Asian Cup whilst Maeda and Hatate were despite having only just returned from injury. It was clear that there some personal conflict here. This coincided at a time that he really needed his confidence raised.

When Adam Idah was drafted in to help prop up the side off the bench, some even crudely speculated that Idah should be the first pick ahead of Kyogo, with some justification as Idah had an excellent start at Celtic. It wasn’t very convincing though, and especially once compatriot Hatate returned to form & health, Kyogo was back on form as demonstrated in his double v Hearts in the post-league split victory  (May 2024).  Kyogo still scored 19 goals in the season, which was a decent total, but under par compared to the past season when he had scored 34 goals, so it was noticeable.

He had to adapt to the new era, but also Rodgers had to adapt his tactics & strategy to Kyogo who was at his best when his colleagues from the Postecoglou era were on form. He was also still bizarrely repeatedly overlooked by his international side, but at least that benefitted Celtic in some ways at least.

Fourth Season (2024/25)

Into the start of the 2024/25 season, a reoccurrence of a shoulder injury caused concern which should have possibly have gone through with surgery. However Kyogo’s call was to carry on, and manage his issue himself. Everyone just prayed his shoulder would hold up (which thankfully it did).

Then out of the blue he changed his agent (Aug 2024), and soon enough stories abounded (from credible sources) that EPL champions Man City were wanting to buy him as a back up to their top striker Haaland in their already bloated squad. Their assistant manager had worked with and coached Kyogo in Japan, so the stories had some substance, but thankfully came to nothing.

Once the season began, despite the competition from Idah (now signed on a permanent basis), Kyogo was the undisputed lead striker.

Whilst superb goals were being scored from across the squad, such as Kuhn & McGregor, Kyogo was still the man to watch, but he wasn’t as freely scoring as previously. This was shown by that he only scored a single goal in the Champions League campaign, once in 5-1 win over a very poor Slovan Bratislava. In fairness, after a thumping defeat to Dortmund, the tactics were more cautious which reduced service to the strikers in certain matches.

He scored the opener v Sevco in the first meet up that effectively killed off their title challenge in a 3- 0 victory (Sep 2024). He also scored v a resurgent Aberdeen (2-2 Sep 2024). However, his scoring rate may have recovered from last season but not matching its peak albeit the quality of the goals was undeniable.

Incredibly, he scored a hat-trick of goals in the first half v BSC Young Boys in the key Champions League match that qualified Celtic to the playoffs (1-0 win, Jan 2025), only for ALL his goals to be disallowed (two for offside and one for a foul in the lead up)! Likely a first ever occurrence in the Champions League.

Departure (Jan 2025)

Straight after the BSC Young Boys match, reports were out that Rennes were in to buy Kyogo, and the inevitable dawned quickly on the support.

He signed to Rennes (France) in January 2025, in effectively a swap for Jota to return, Kyogo’s deal estimated at £10m+. The transfer was completed within a day of the BSC Young Boys match, so there was no final farewell match for the fans to say their goodbyes. It was clear this was all pre arranged to close on the completion of Celtic’s qualification through in the Champions League.

Many had already been aware via social media rumours about the potential move, and at his age after 3.5 years at Celtic, he had one last chance to try at another club. Others stated it was a move to boost his chances to make it into the Japanese squad for the next World Cup! That couldn’t necessarily be begrudged but still there was a heavy heart that he was leaving mid-season, especially with the key Champions League playoff match to come, a match in which he could really thrive and make his name beyond just Scotland.

Kyogo was to his admirers one of the finest strikers Celtic had had in a generation, and even era defining. That was saying something when Celtic had Moussa Dembele and Edouard during this time. His arrival at Celtic under Postecoglou helped to turn the club around, with many not acknowledging the shambolic state the club across the board was at the time when both came on board.

His fast breaks, clever use of the offside line, running through into long passes or over the top balls to take on the opposition goalkeeper who could never pause whilst he was on field. Defenders found him a handful as he was unafraid to run at them to beat his man and to then put the ball at the back of the net. A superb finisher, and he often led the celebrations after the final whistle, always smiling and laughing. It was a perfect relationship between a player and the support.

Admittedly, a problem was the loss of his mentor to Spurs, and it was often said that maybe Ange Postecoglou also lost out heavily on not attempting to take Kyogo with him to Spurs. This was very much the case at the time of Kyogo’s departure with Postecoglou’s Spurs side very much under the cosh. Rodgers’ tactics clearly didn’t suit Kyogo as well as Postecoglou’s but on the other hand Kyogo also had to adjust. Celtic could also over rely on Kyogo, and with his injury history it was quite a risky strategy. In any case, he gave his all and played to his best whenever on-field. His ability, character and personality were top notch.

We wished him all the best.

Post-Celtic

Bizarrely his new manager was sacked within three days of his signing, even before his first game for Celtic.

[….]

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Quotes

“As a striker, I pay a lot of attention to the way I attack, combine, define in front of goal, and I can keep learning”
Kyogo Furuhashi

“If you end up in arguments with ignorant people, you eventually become one of them.”
Ange Postecoglou on critics of Kyogo claiming he’s a serial diver & cheat on the field (Dec 2021)

“Kyogo’s the size of a jockey, playing against guys almost a foot taller than him and all these brave warriors on the outside are casting aspersions”
Ange Postecoglou hits back at people accusing Kyogo of diving.

“We are delighted to bring Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic. He is a player of real quality and clearly someone I know well. I think he will add something special to our squad and I am sure the way he plays will excite our supporters. We look forward to welcoming him.”
Ange Postecoglou (July 2021)

“Celtic fans will love Kyogo. The thing about him is that he possesses what I call a football brain. Any player as fast as him is a threat and for a midfielder like me, he was a dream because he always seemed to find space. I know he will be a huge success”.
Andreas Iniesta (Jul 2021)

“Kyogo is the first player in history to be better than his YouTube highlights, much better.”
Graham A (Twitter Witt)

“This football club and him were a match made in heaven.”
Ange Postecoglou on Kyogo (Dec 2021)

“[The atmosphere at Celtic Park] is really amazing. It’s hard to describe with words. The people here are different. They’re passionate, very passionate. From the security guards, the cashier, they’ll stop their work to take a picture with you.”
Kyogo, Source: Celtic via DAZN media

“Talented players of his ability don’t come around too often. He has great skill and vision. He scores and picks a pass. He lights up a football pitch. He is a matchwinner.”
Lubo Moravcik on Kyogo

“Winning the League Cup! Thanks to the fans, the staff and my teammates I was able to score two goals to help the team. I’ll never forget the happiness I had in that moment! We play football to feel that emotion.”
Kyogo (2022)

“A lot of teammates mentioned about my “mushroom” hairstyle so it has become my trademark celebration!”
Kyogo

“He’s always one step ahead of the defenders for these kind of cutbacks…whether it’s luck or whether he’s mastered the art of it, I dunno!”
Ex-Celt Kenny Miller’s bizarre comment on Kyogo which had co-host Jackie McNamara stumped too on Sportscene (Sep 2022)

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Playing Career

APPEARANCES (subs)	LEAGUE	SCOTTISH CUP	LEAGUE CUP	EUROPE	TOTAL
2021-22	20	1	3	9	33
Goals	12	0	3	5	20
2022-23	36	5	3	6	50
Goals	27	4	3	0	34
2023-24	38	5	1	6	50
Goals	14	3	0	2	19
2024-25	22	1	2	7	32
Goals	10	0	1	1	12
Total	116	12	9	28	165
Goals	63	7	7	8	85

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Honours with Celtic

(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League

• 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
• [complete at end of 2024/25 season]

Scottish Cup

• 2022-23, 2023-24
• [complete at end of 2024/25 season]

Scottish League Cup

• 2021-22, 2022-23, 2024-25

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Notes

• Kyogo is his first name but the custom for names in Far East Asia is the surname first, so you may see his name sometimes written in some articles as Furuhashi Kyogo.
• Became the first Celtic player to score 7 goals in a calendar year v Sevco, or even against any senior side from Ibrox.
• World Soccer magazine pinpointed him as one “of the stars of the season from outside of Europe’s top 5 [major] leagues”. (Apr 2023)

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