Daizen Maeda was born in Osaka on 20 October 1997 (age 29), and his route to prominence was not especially tidy. Early loan football helped harden his game before Yokohama F. Marinos gave him the stage to turn industry into end product. His 2021 league season there was the clear break-out: 23 goals in 36 appearances.
Celtic brought him in from Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022, and he quickly became a familiar part of the side’s tempo. Maeda was never just a winger measured by neat touches or easy aesthetics. His value was in repeat sprints, pressure, direct running and a useful habit of making defenders uncomfortable.
His Celtic spell was highly productive in team terms. He won five Premiership titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups, a serious haul across four and a half years. There were also runners-up finishes in the League Cup and Scottish Cup, but the main shape of his time in Glasgow was that of a player trusted in winning sides.
In July 2026, Maeda left Celtic for Ipswich Town for around £10m. He has remained active in 2026-27, with 10 Premier League appearances and one goal, plus a League Cup appearance, taking him to 11 Ipswich appearances in all competitions. He has also continued with Japan, playing in World Cup and Asian qualifying matches this season.
Now valued at around £11m by Transfermarkt, Maeda’s career has moved from developmental football in Japan to a prolific Yokohama season, a trophy-heavy Celtic spell and a Premier League chapter with Ipswich. It is a career built less on polish than persistence, and Celtic got plenty out of that.
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