Reo Hatate, born on the 21st November 1997 in Japan, is a skilful midfielder, primarily fulfilling the role of a central midfielder for Celtic. With a height of 5ft 7in (1.71m) and a weight of 11st (70kg), he isn't particularly physically imposing, but this hasn't limited his performance on the pitch. Adorned with the number 41 jersey, Hatate has also represented his home nation of Japan.
His skills have earned him a market value of around £9.3m, as reported by Transfermarkt. His contract with Celtic has three years and one month left, with it set to expire on the 31st May 2028.
In terms of his playing career, Hatate started making strides in the J1 League in Japan for Kawasaki Frontale. He joined the club in August 2018 and mostly warmed the bench in the first season making only a single appearance. The subsequent seasons, however, saw more action with Hatate making 31 and 30 appearances respectively in the 2020 and 2021 seasons and netting a pleasing five goals in each.
In January 2022, he transferred to Celtic in the Premiership in Scotland for a fee of around £1.4m. This was perhaps seen as a bit of a gamble, given his relatively short career, but it's one that seems to have paid off. In his first season at Celtic, Hatate made 17 appearances and scored four goals. The subsequent seasons saw even more action with the midfielder making 32 and 16 appearances in the second and third season respectively, while adding another nine goals to his tally.
As of the current 2024 - 2025 season at Celtic, Hatate has made 37 first team appearances and scored an impressive ten goals in league matches. He has also taken part in notable tournaments such as the Champions League 2023 - 2024 for Celtic with three starts, and the League Cup 2024 - 2025 for Celtic with four starts. In the same year, he represented Celtic in the Scottish Cup, starting in three games and appearing as a substitute in one. Meanwhile, he has also represented Japan in World Cup Qualifiers Asia 2024 - 2026, with one start and two substitute appearances, and participated in the Champions League 2024 - 2025 for Celtic, making an impact with one goal in nine starts and one appearance from the bench.
