Reo Hatate, hailing from Japan and born on the 21st of November, 1997, claims his place on the pitch as a central midfielder with notable agility and finesse. Aged 27, he stands at a nimble 5ft 7in (1.71m) and weighs in at 11st (70kg), comfortably numbered as 41 across the Celtic green and white. Aside from his contributions to the Scottish Premiership, Hatate has also been selected to apply his craft at an international level for the Japan national team.
In terms of market value, Hatate has been noted as worthy of approximately €11.00m, which equates to roughly £9.3m, a figure reported by football analysts at Transfermarkt. That's a handsome indication of his competing prowess considering there are still more than three years on his current contract with Celtic, due to reach its terminus on the 31st of May, 2028.
Prior to his Celtic debut, Hatate honed his abilities with Kawasaki Frontale in the J1 League in Japan starting from August 2018. His initial season in 2019 saw Hatate make a single first team appearance, though the subsequent 2020 season testified to a noteworthy improvement, with 31 appearances and five goals to his name. In the 2021 season, Hatate replicated his goal tally from the previous season, once again securing five league goals in addition to his 30 appearances.
A significant chapter in Hatate's career began in January 2022, with a transfer to Scottish giants Celtic at a cost of around £1.4m. His inaugural season at Parkhead saw him make 17 first team appearances, meanwhile inaugurating his goal account with four successful strikes. The 2022-2023 season witnessed a larger role for Hatate, boasting 32 appearances and six goals, which particularly stood out.
As one of Celtic's gladiators, Hatate continued to contribute significantly with 16 appearances and three goals in the 2023-2024 season and is presently demonstrating a strong performance in the 2024-2025 season, having already made an impressive 35 appearances and scoring nine times.
Extending beyond his league exploits, Hatate has also made his mark internationally and in several cup competitions. His commendable performances include three starts in the Champions League 2023-2024, four starts in the League Cup 2024-2025, and a contribution to Celtic's Scottish Cup endeavours in the 2024-2025 season. Concurrently, he also represented Japan in the World Cup Qualifiers for Asia with one start and two appearances as a substitute. Undoubtedly, his crowning achievement would be scoring a crucial goal in the Champions League 2024-2025 after starting nine times and making one appearance as a substitute.
