Daizen Maeda was born in Osaka on 20 October 1997 (age 29) and came through in Japan before his career properly sharpened through early loan spells and then at Yokohama F. Marinos. His best league return there came in 2021, when he scored 23 goals in 36 appearances, a season that made clear he was more than just a willing runner.
Celtic brought him in from Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022, and he became a hard player to leave out. Maeda’s game has never needed much dressing up: pace, pressing, awkward movement, and a habit of making defenders work for every calm touch they fancied taking. During his Celtic spell he won five Premiership titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups, a serious haul earned across a period when he remained a regular part of the side rather than a decorative squad piece.
He left Celtic in July 2026 for Ipswich Town in a deal worth around £10m. In 2026-2027, he has made nine Premier League appearances for Ipswich, scoring once, and has also featured in the League Cup. He has stayed involved with Japan too, with appearances in the World Cup and Asian qualifiers this season, scoring in both.
Now valued at around £11m by Transfermarkt, Maeda’s career has run from Osaka to Yokohama, then to a successful Celtic period, and on to the Premier League with Ipswich. His Celtic years remain the central chapter: productive, relentless, and more substantial than some were willing to admit at the time.
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