Hatate reveals family's emotional reaction to landmark Celtic moment

The National

15-05-2025

The Japanese midfielder found the back of the net from close range in Celtic's landmark 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig at the end of last year.
Although they went 1-0 down early doors, Nicolas Kuhn's quick-fire brace put Brendan Rodgers' men ahead going into the break.
Widely regarded as one of their greatest modern-day European performances, Celtic dominated the Bundesliga outfit, and Hatate sealed the three points with 18 minutes to go.
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His mother was an emotional onlooker in the stands.
Hatate said [Sportiva]: "My wife told me that on November 5th last year, my mother came to Celtic Park to watch the fourth round of the Champions League match against Leipzig and cried when she saw me entering the pitch with the Champions League anthem playing.
"I scored my first Champions League goal in that match, and when my wife saw my mother, she cried again.
"I wonder if I was able to show my parents some gratitude.
"I was happy to score a goal in a game that my mother came to watch. At the same time, I wanted to show her more success and make her happy.
"She definitely inherited her mother's ability to pursue one thing to the fullest. Just like her mother, she wants to continue to pursue her game to the fullest and grow."
Hatate's prosperous career away from the land of the rising sun means he rarely gets to see his family. His mum, however, makes sure she tunes in to every Celtic match, home or away.
"My mother is the one I keep in contact with more than anyone else in my family," he said.
"Even after I started playing for Celtic, she watches every game in real time, despite the time difference between Japan and me, and always sends me a message after the game.
"The messages are simple things like 'I'm glad you won' or 'Nice goal', but they arrive almost every time after a game, and it makes me think, 'She's always watching me', or 'She was cheering for me today, too'. At the same time, I realise that no matter how old I get, I'm still a child to my mother, and I'm still grateful for her support.
"By the way, my mother has now become a big fan of soccer, and since I started playing for Celtic, she has become interested in so-called overseas soccer.
"I heard that she watches other popular matches such as the UEFA Champions League besides Celtic games, so I think she will probably get up early in the morning to watch this season's Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Inter, on TV."
Hatate will get his hands on his fourth Scottish Premiership title since joining Celtic from Kawasaki Frontale in 2022 this Saturday.