Reo Hatate wants Shunsuke Nakamura Celtic wonder moment of his own after PE to Champions League journey

Reo Hatate turned nine on the day Shunsuke Nakamura lit up the Champions League with one of the tournaments greatest-ever goals.

Almost sixteen years on, the Japanese kid would love to emulate his compatriot’s Celtic heroics. But Hatate admits that, as he went through university and obtained a licence to be a PE teacher, he had no idea if he might one day be training someone else to follow in Nakamura’s footsteps as opposed to getting the opportunity himself.

When the draw is made in Istanbul this evening, there is every chance Gordon Strachan’s Asian superstar’s famous free-kick from 2006 will appear in the TV showreels of competition highlights. It was on November 21, Hatate’ s birthday, that Nakamura wrote himself into Parkhead folklore with his wondrous 30-yard strike beyond Edwin van der Saar to surge his team past Manchester United and into the last 16 for the first time.

Hatate said: “I still remember the goal that Shunsuke scored. It’s one of the most famous goals ever scored by a Japanese player. It’s fantastic for me to now be playing on that stage. A goal in any game is very important whether it’s a domestic game or the Champions League.

“But my countryman achieved a great thing by scoring that goal that night and I’d like to make my mark in the competition by scoring a goal like that. It would be great to create history like Nakamura did.”

Nakamura, of course, didn’t just grace club football. The midfield genius was also a stalwart on the international stage with 98 caps and represented Japan at a World Cup.

For Hatate, it’s another achievement to try and emulate. Celtic team-mates Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda look booked for a spot in their country’s squad for Qatar 2022. Their colleague could