Daizen Maeda's old skipper, Zainadine Junior, knew he was destined to hit the heights he has recently reached at Celtic.
Zainadine was captain of Portuguese outfit Maritimo when Maeda spent the 2019/20 season on loan there from Matsumoto Yamaga.
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While Maeda scored just four times in 24 Maritimo appearances, Zainadine knew he would reach the top: "You could see Daizen had a lot of qualities when he arrived at Maritimo," he said [Record].
"He was very fast, with good technique, really strong and capable of scoring goals.
“It was difficult for him at first. It was his first time in Europe, and as captain, I helped him. Back then, at Maritimo, he was the same as he is now. He liked to run! At training, he probably ran too much for the other players in the team. But all of his teammates loved him because of his work rate.
"He was a great teammate. We wanted him to stay. When he had to go home, all the Maritimo players were saying: ‘Maeda, come back.’ I always believed one day he’d come back to Europe and play well."
The "year-old is currently enjoying the season of his life.
Maeda has contributed to 40 goals for Celtic this term and was recently named in PFA Scotland's Premiership Team of the Year.
Zainadine thinks he can go on to better things. He said: "I watched him in the Champions League for Celtic and he’s playing very good football. I’m happy because hopefully I played a very small part in his career.
"For me, he’s a player who is capable of going to the Premier League. I’m sure English clubs will now be looking at him. And I mean the best clubs in the Premier League. Because Daizen has become the best player at Celtic now."
