The Celtic Hero reveals shock reason he is delaying meeting his new born baby until after Scottish Cup final

RIGHT now he’s starring in the Hoops.

But as a boy he’d dreamt of performing beneath the Olympic rings.

Daizen Maeda has had a season to remember at Celtic.

He’s added the Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year award to the PFA Scotland and SPFL trophies he’d already collected.

But being a hero out on the football pitch wasn’t an image the young Daizen had in mind as he grew up in Japan.

Instead he’d be glued to the gymnastics events at the Olympics and wish it would be him one day.

Maeda still has moments when he wonders if he’d have made it.

But he’s sure the work he put in to try and make it to a Games has benefited him as a player – and is a reason he’s achieved what he has at Parkhead.

Maeda, 27, said: “I’m a baseball fan but when I was younger I didn’t want to be a baseball player. I wanted to be a gymnast.

“I used to do it a lot as a child. I practised a lot. I would look at the Olympics and think I wanted to be there.

“I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That’s why I was practising so much.

“I would do things on the boxes and back jumps. On the floor and the one with the bars.

“How old was I when I decided football was a better way to go? I still don’t think football is better! I just realised now I’m a football player!

“But I think learning how to use the body back then has been helpful for me because I’m not really doing anything towards that just now.

“I just think that experience in my childhood helps me move my body better.”

As well as picking up a hat-trick of personal gongs, Maeda is celebrating becoming a dad for the third time.

He’d headed back to Japan last month to be with his wife but then returned to face Rangers with his child still to be born.

Until now he’s only been introduced to son Raikou via Zoom calls so he can’t wait to meet him for real once the season is over.

Maeda said: “I now have a baby boy. I’ve seen him on video calls. I haven’t seen him face-to-face yet so I just want to go into the off-season and see him.”

Moving to the Hoops wasn’t Maeda’s first taste of football in Europe.

Back in 2019 his J-League side Matsumoto Yamaga farmed him out to Portuguese team Maritimo.

It was far from a disastrous spell as he bagged four goals in 24 appearances.

But Covid saw him head back home and in August 2020 Ange Postecoglou signed him on loan to Yokohama F Marinos.

A loan spell became permanent and he hasn’t looked back, with the Australian taking him to Parkhead two years later.

Maeda said: “I don’t think the move to Maritimo didn’t work well because I was playing.

“It was just the timing of going there. It was before and during Covid and I had to make a decision for my family.

“It all came to an end and there was a decision made to go back. If there hadn’t been covid I would have stayed in Europe. It is what it is.”

Maeda has 33 goals and 12 assists to his name this term and doesn’t hesitate when asked to rate where the season ranks in his career.

He said: “It’s definitely the best. I understood the importance of constantly doing what I’m doing. It was a great season to understand that and hopefully I can continue.

“It has been beyond the expectations I had at the start of the season. But there have been several times in my career where things I’ve been doing have paid off at the end.

“It’s why I’m very happy to receive the writers’ award. But teammates come first and it’s because of them I have received it. Then it’s the manager, coaches, staff and my parents. I’m really pleased to receive it for them.”

Maeda is now halfway through the four-year extension he penned in 2023.

Boss Brendan Rodgers would like to hand him another new contract.

But Maeda admits he has some pondering to do, with clubs known to be circling.

He said: “This is a world where you never know what’s going to happen next.

“This a good team but I need to think about what comes next with my family and the gaffer and everything. For now my focus is on this team.

“I’m not thinking a lot right now because there are still games to play. I’m also just thinking about how I spend my day off today so we’ll get the games done then see what happens.”

Maeda helped the Hoops qualify from the Champions League group stages but they then lost to Bayern Munich in the play-offs.

It means he will have one burning desire if he does stay at Parkhead beyond the summer.

He said: “Everyone said we had a great performance in the Champions League but we didn’t go through to the next stage.

“So I think there’s something missing in our team in that regard. For the next seasons I think we should try to go to the next stage.”

Shunsuke Nakamura’s arrival in 2005 started the links between Celtic and Japan.

Maeda has stepped in to fill the boots of the departed Kyogo Furuhashi while Reo Hatate has impressed to the point Udinese are sending scouts to keep tabs on him.

Asked about his pride in keeping that legacy going, Maeda – set to face St Mirren tomorrow – said: “I’m very proud of this.

“From the moment I joined this club everyone was very welcoming, especially the Japanese players.

“I think having Japanese players in this team will strengthen the levels of the team and improve the technique of the team. I hope there will be more players coming over.”