Hatate is hoping to cap his week with Ibrox joy

SCORER of two goals on his derby initiation back in February, Reo Hatate scarcely needed a confidence booster heading into today’s match at Ibrox.

Yet, the Celtic midfielder goes into the top-of-the-table clash against Rangers holding the new status of a full international, having made his debut for Japan against Vietnam in midweek.

Hatate had previously played for his country in last year’s Tokyo Olympics but the award of a full cap added another fine achievement to his growing list of accomplishments.

He said: ‘To play for the national team is a great honour and I felt really proud to do it. But, of course, I would like to have more playing time with Japan.

‘In terms of why I got that opportunity, of course Celtic has played an important part in that.

‘But I’m also thankful to everybody who has helped me in my career so far, like my coaches and team-mates. I feel really grateful for that.’

At 24, Hatate has plenty to look forward to in his career — but he is a relatively late bloomer thanks to his time in higher education where he qualified as a PE teacher.

‘At university, I studied at the faculty of sports and health science. It was all about the science of the human body, nutrition and everything around that.

‘But I also got a licence to be a physical education teacher. For four years I had to study a lot as well as training hard to try and become a professional football player.

‘It wasn’t easy for me because I had to have a lot of discipline, but it was a great experience. I had always dreamt about becoming a football player, that was my ambition even at high school.

‘But after going to university, I started to have a clear vision of exactly what I wanted to do and which team I wanted to play for.’

Hatate blossomed as part of the Kawasaki Frontale team that took the J-League title last season, along the way catching the eye of Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou quit as Yokohama F Marinos boss midway through the campaign to accept the offer of managing Celtic and always intended to return for Hatate’s signature, something he attained for a reported transfer fee of £1.4million.

‘I couldn’t have imagined I’d achieve all this,’ said Hatate.

‘I certainly didn’t imagine playing at the Olympic Games but because they were postponed for one year, I got an incredible opportunity.

‘Of course, it was my goal and objective to do well in my career. But I didn’t think I’d play at such a high level, for Celtic and for the national team.’

Hatate’s two finishes against Rangers laid the foundations for a 3-0 win that switched the momentum in the title race.

He added: ‘The result we got against Rangers that night was great — but it wasn’t just about me, we got it as a team.

‘It was also down to the coach and my team-mates because everyone did their best. Was it a life-changing moment for me? Well, that depends on what I do with my career from now on.’

Although the pair have been team-mates for three full months, today marks the first potential opportunity for Hatate to play alongside Kyogo Furuhashi.

A £4.5m buy from Vissel Kobe, Kyogo was Postecoglou’s signature buy last summer and immediately illuminated Celtic’s season before limping out of a Boxing Day game at St Johnstone.

‘Before I came to Celtic, I watched Kyogo’s games and he helped the club get some great results,’ continued Hatate. ‘I’m really looking forward to playing with him in this team.

‘We know that each victory we have from now on can lead us to winning at the end of the season.

‘But we have to just focus on the next match and see where it takes us.’

Hatate’s football journey will inevitably come to an end — but despite all those years of study, he says it’s not a given that he will fall back on his qualifications when he hangs up his boots.

He added: ‘I’m not sure if I’ll be a physical education teacher when I stop playing. But I think I will definitely open my own coffee shop!’