Celtic have been on a bit of an exciting Champions League journey so far this season.
Brendan Rodgers got his Champions League campaign off to a flier after Celtic destroyed Slovan Bratislava 5-1 at Parkhead.
The Bhoys were then humbled as Celtic crashed to a 7-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund as last season’s finalists taught them a serious Champions League lesson.
However, Celtic bounced back against Atalanta with a superb draw in Bergamo and Rodgers followed that up as the Hoops hammered RB Leipzig at Celtic Park.
But it was in Celtic’s draw with Club Brugge that Japanese winger, Daizen Maeda, admits that he witnessed something he’s never seen his teammates do before in UEFA’s elite competition.
Daizen Maeda blown away by ‘good gesture’ in Celtic’s draw vs Club Brugge
Celtic fans will never forget Cameron Carter-Vickers’ own goal against the Belgians as the Hoops earned a point in the draw.
But it was what happened afterwards that blew the Celtic winger away.
Maeda told The Herald [print edition page 70], “In the time I have been here, we have never had a huddle as we did after the goal
But we are disciplined and it showed how much we wanted to win the game. It was a good gesture in a difficult moment.
“What happened to him [Carter-Vickers] was not only his fault, it was a team thing and we will all take part of the responsibility.
“He has been a leader for this team and he will keep being so.”
Daizen Maeda’s impact for Celtic in the Champions League
Maeda has looked like a new player this season for Celtic under Brendan Rodgers. The Japan international has been on fire with ten goals and four assists so far.
But it’s in the Champions League where Maeda is now being talked about for Celtic in the same circles as Moussa Dembele.
With three goals in the tournament, here is where Maeda has made the biggest impact in the Champions League for Celtic.
Celtic 5 v 1 Slovan Bratislava: Maeda scores Celtic’s fourth goal ten minutes after the Slovakians pulled a goal back at 3-0 down.
Borussia Dortmund 7 v 1 Celtic: The Japan international equalised minutes after the Germans took the lead and gave the travelling Hoops fans hope. We all know what happened next.
Celtic 1 v 1 Club Brugge: Maeda scored a superb equaliser some of the best players in Europe would have been proud of.
Not only that, Maeda was a pest against RB Leipzig as his pressing and harrying suckered the Bundesliga side into making a mistake for Celtic and Nicolas Kuhn’s second goal.
Maeda is, without doubt, one of Celtic’s most important players in the team and is quickly being elevated into hero status in many of the Hoops fans’ eyes.
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