Daizen Maeda: Japan media rate Celtic star’s performance after World Cup defeat vs Brazil
Japan’s media has praised Daizen Maeda’s performance after they were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup in a 2-1 defeat to Brazil.
The Celtic star was unable to find the net against the South American giants, but still managed to have a massive impact on the game.
The 28-year-old caused all sorts of problems for the Brazil backline, and was arguably Japan’s best attacker in the defeat.
As a result, the Japanese media has been quick to praise Maeda’s performance, insisting that he was “troublesome” throughout the game.
Maeda has been heavily linked away from Celtic in recent weeks after an emphatic end to the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership campaign.
The attacker is now set to return to Parkhead ahead of the new season as his future remains unresolved this summer.
Daizen Maeda praise for performance vs Brazil
Maeda can no doubt come away from the 2026 World Cup happy with the individual displays he put in.
After a mixed first game, he netted the opener against Sweden last week in their final group game as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
This form continued against Brazil, where he was a menace until he was taken off in the 89th minute.
As a result, Football Channel was quick to praise the display and gave the attacker a 6.5/10 rating before writing: “Became a troublesome presence for the opponent with his strong pressing and breakthroughs.”
Will Maeda be sold by Celtic this summer?
Football Insider exclusively revealed that Celtic will not stand in the way of a Maeda sale this summer.
The attacker has now entered the last year of his contract, and the Hoops are happy to cash in.
By doing this, Celtic avoid potentially losing the striker on a free transfer in the next summer transfer window.
With Martin O’Neill now confirmed as the manager for the 2026-27 campaign, and Maeda out of the World Cup, steps towards his departure are now likely to speed up.
Celtic will be hoping that his performances in the World Cup attract further interest and potentially increase his price tag over the coming weeks.
However, it remains to be seen where Maeda will be playing his football next season as the Hoops look to find potential replacements for the Japan international up top.