Daizen Maeda was born in Osaka on 20 October 1997 (age 28) and came through in Japan as a forward whose game was shaped as much by movement and work-rate as by finishing. Early loan football helped sharpen him before his best league return came at Yokohama F. Marinos in 2021, when he scored 23 goals in 36 appearances.
Celtic signed him from Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022. He was never a decorative winger, which was probably the point. His pace, pressing and direct running gave Celtic a different edge, and he became a regular part of a successful side. Across his Celtic spells he won four Premiership titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups, and was also part of a side that finished runners-up in another Scottish Cup.
Maeda left Celtic for Ipswich Town in July 2026 for around £10m, but that spell sat between his Celtic periods rather than replacing them as the main line of his career. After Ipswich, he returned to Celtic and established himself more fully, remaining part of the current squad and wearing number 38.
He has also continued to be involved with Japan, with three World Cup appearances and one goal this season, along with seven appearances and one goal in Asian World Cup qualifying. His current market value is around £11m, according to Transfermarkt.
Maeda’s career has moved from Japan, through a productive Yokohama spell, into a substantial Celtic story interrupted by Ipswich. He remains a useful and familiar part of Celtic’s attacking options: not always polished, rarely passive, and generally hard to ignore.
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