Celtic stars get the GREEN carpet treatment in Japan as Shunsuke Nakamura joins team for showpiece adidas event
Celtic are a bigger name in Japan than ever before and our man Michael Gannon was on hand as five homeland heroes addressed the media in Yokohama.
Ange Postecoglou's departure to Tottenham hadn't been foreseen when Celtic booked up for a pre-season tour of Asia that kicks off with a trip to face his old team Yokohama F. Marinos in the Land of the Rising Sun.
But with five Japanese superstars including Kyogo, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate in their ranks, there was still plenty for the Japanese fanclub to lap up. The Parkhead Japanese contingent were joined by trailblazing Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura for an adidas event at the Nissan Stadium and it gathered plenty of attention with local and international media coming out in force to cover it.
There was a sense of the calm before the storm at a stadium as the men of the hour took to the pitch knowing just 24 hours later it would be packed out with supporters who have long been desperate to catch a glimpse of their heroes live. And Record Sport's Michael Gannon was there to take it all in.
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You can see the best of the pictures below and see some video from our man on the ground in the player above. Choosing Green Day for the walkout music was slightly on the nose...
The stage is set for the Celtic contingent to take their place. The media are gathered in front of the lucky few hundred fans in place.
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The trailblazer for Japanese representation at Celtic. Nakamura was the first to speak to the gathered media.
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And he shared a joke with Kyogo clearly on the same page. The past and present talismans of Celtic were in fine form.
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