Maeda is SFWA Player of the Year

We are pleased to announce that Daizen Maeda is the SFWA Player of the Year.

The Celtic attacker has been the standout player in the country this season, a persistent thorn in the side of defences whether operating from wide or as a striker.

The Japanese international has scored 33 times for Celtic in 2024-25, with four of those goals arriving in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old seamlessly took on the mantle as the club’s main goal threat following the January sale of Kyogo Furuhashi, the 2023 winner of this award.

He becomes the third Japanese winner of the football writers’ crown after Kyogo and Shunsuke Nakamura, who topped the vote in 2006-07.  

Maeda was shortlisted for the prize alongside team-mate and captain Callum McGregor, as well as Dundee striker Simon Murray and Hibs midfielder Nectar Triantis.

He said: “I'm very happy to receive the award. I think team-mates come first and it’s because of them I have received this award.

"After that it’s managers, coaches, staff, and also of course my parents. I'm really pleased to receive this award for them.”