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.
