YOU would think that the first thing a new Japanese midfielder arriving at Celtic would want to do would be to distance himself from any predictable comparisons to compatriot and club legend Shunsuke Nakamura, particularly when it comes to his dead ball prowess.
For Tomoki Iwata though, Nakamura isn’t only a role model, but a benchmark for where he wants to get to as a player. As a combative defensive midfielder, his playing style may be markedly different from Nakamura’s, but it is in his technical ability on the ball and in his free-kicks that he tries to emulate the man Gordon Strachan called ‘a genius’.
Nakamura didn’t only inspire a generation of Japanese kids to take up the sport, but also to follow in his footsteps by striving to play abroad, as well as bringing Celtic into the mainstream consciousness of his nation.
So much so that six of his countrymen are now at the club - also thanks in no small part to Ange Postecoglou’s knowledge of the J-League, granted – with each of them speaking about Nakamura in the warmest of terms.
And if Iwata can thwack a free-kick anywhere near as well as Nakamura did, he will be well on his way to earning his own place in the hearts of the Celtic support.
“Of course, I knew about Celtic from the times since our legend, Shunsuke Nakamura, was playing for the club,” Iwata said.
“Since I was little I have been aware of Celtic and watching games, so I have known about the club for a long time.
“Shunsuke is a player I would like to imitate. For example, with free kicks. I’m right-footed but I try to kick with my left foot, too. He is my example to follow.
“I got to meet Shunsuke in a game. He is a really good player in terms of his touch on the ball. He is someone who always tries to make a difference in games with the ball at his feet.
“I think he was also an example to follow in terms of making young Japanese players believe they could come to Europe and play in the Champions League.”
For a new generation of Japanese youngsters, it is the likes of Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda who have brought Celtic into their lives, and even before Iwata knew of any interest in him from the Scottish champions, their presence in Glasgow had reignited his own interest in the club’s fortunes.
“Since Kyogo, Reo and Daizen have been playing here they have been brilliant, so the Japanese fans have started to follow the club,” he said.
“They have been playing for the national team too, and the club has a lot of popularity because of that in Japan.
“Because Daizen was my teammate, I started to follow every Celtic game. Of course, I also worked under the manager at Yokohama F. Marinos, so I was very interested to see if that style of football can bring good results here in Scotland and in Europe.
“So, it has been exciting for me. I couldn’t watch all of the games, but I was always checking the highlights and keeping up with the scores.”
Postecoglou, as Iwata reiterates, has been a huge driving force in his career so far, spotting his potential to operate at the base of the midfield instead of his original position in the defence while at Yokohama F. Marinos.
“I feel grateful to him for picking me and playing me as a number six, so I managed to find a new version of myself and another possibility for myself,” he said.
“I feel very grateful to him. I would like to play as a number six [at Celtic] but the most important thing is the victory of the team, so that is independent from which position I play.
“Since I started my professional career, the manager was the first foreign manager that I have had.
“The things I have learned especially is to have passion and a good attitude towards football. This is where I can learn a lot of things.
“So, I will keep learning from him and here in Scotland I will be looking to improve myself further.
“I will be putting 100 percent into each training session and thinking about how I can improve more. My focus will be on how I can express the football of the manager on the pitch.”
That likely won’t be this weekend though, with Iwata admitting to a little ring-rust having last played competitively in November.
“I think I will need more time,” he said.
“I want to have my perfect form soon, but of course we do not have [any] time to waste.
“I would like to improve my condition as soon as possible and show my fitness to everybody.”
Iwata has already had a taste of what it will be like though when he finally does pull on the green and white jersey and runs out at Celtic Park to play, having taken his bow in from of the Celtic supporters during the interval of the weekend win over Kilmarnock.
“I got goosebumps,” he said.
“I was really surprised by the atmosphere, which you cannot experience in Japan. To play in that atmosphere will be the greatest thing.
“I would like to play on that pitch as soon as possible.”
