Yuki Kobayashi was inspired by Shunsuke Nakamura’s tales of his Champions League exploits at Celtic. He just didn’t know it at the time.
The 22-year-old centre-back – who checked in this week on a five-year deal at Parkhead – was a kid on loan at Yokohama FC when the Hoops legend was still doing the business in his early 40s. Nakamura’s advice went a long way in shaping the kid’s career – and he can’t quite believe it helped send him down a path to Celtic Park.
Kobayashi has heard all the stories from the old master about competing against the cream of Europe and his part in twice leading Celts to the last 16 in the Champions League. And the defender is hoping he can now create his own success story with Celtic. Kobayashi said: “He was at Yokohama and he talked to me about the experiences he had in the Champions League.
“At that moment I never thought I was going to play for Celtic so I didn’t ask too much about the club. But he really sold it and told me about the happiness and joy he had in the Champions League.
“He had a fantastic career so being able to listen to someone who had those top-level experiences was really great and exciting for me as a young player. It helped me to design my career.”
Kobayashi also tapped up a current Celtic favourite for the lowdown on the club.
Kygo was his team-mate at Vissel Kobe and Kobayashi was quickly on the blower when boss Ange Postecoglou was making his move. He said: “I had contact with Kyogo. He told me about the team, the stadium and the atmosphere. It was very positive.
“I have a confidence in myself and will prepare myself to my best standard to train hard. Obviously I play a different position to Kyogo but I think I can adapt quickly as he did. I will prepare myself to try and help the team.
“When I first heard of the interest of Celtic I was very happy because I thought it was a good opportunity for me. Once I got the offer we talked with Vissel Kobe and they sent me to play here.
“As soon as I heard about the interest from Celtic this was my main target to continue my career. Currently Japanese players are having good results so I had a really good impression of the club anyway.
“We can say for sure Celtic is one of the most famous European clubs in Japan. The fact we already have Japanese players here for more than a season helps me a lot. I’m sure of that. I think it will be a benefit and I can have a good adaptation to the club and the style of football.”
Kobayashi is hoping the switch to Scotland can also boost his chances of jumping on the bandwagon with his national team.
Japan have been a smash hit at the World Cup, stunning Spain and Germany to reach the last 16. The youngster has been capped at all youth levels and he’s hoping Celtic can help him make the step up.
Kobayashi said: “Definitely. Our national team is doing very well at the moment and I would like to play with them in the future.
“This is why I came to Celtic. To try and play well here and then hopefully be called up to the national team. By playing well here I can have a lot of opportunities to be part of the squad. This is very important for me.”
Kobayashi is a man in a hurry but he might need to be patient, with boss Postecoglou seeing him as one for the future.
But he said: “The manager is expecting me to be a strong defender at centre-back and to help the build-up and support our playing style. In terms of the opportunity ahead, I will just have to show my best performances to get those opportunities.”
Postecoglou is convinced he’s landed a cracker and while he’s looking down the line, he reckons Kobayashi could have a more immediate impact.
The manager said: “It’s good to have Yuki in. He’s one we’ll look at medium to long term but whatever he contributes in the short term will be a bonus. The position he plays, there’s a real opportunity there to develop a really good player.
“That’s important when coming from the other side of the world. He can come here with a bit of confidence having seen how well the other players have adjusted to life here. It’s also important to us as a club when looking at those markets.
"It will give us an advantage to other clubs as the success of the likes of Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda will show there’s a real chance of progression here.”
