Internet AI has a neat description of a football cult hero. A player who is cherished by fans for who they are, rather than their skills. They can be endearing, enigmatic, or have qualities that make them relatable to fans.
Our robot overlords would be as well just popping up a picture of Daizen Maeda. In fact, given the Japanese star’s unnatural amounts of energy and the ice running through his veins, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the attacker was part machine himself. Maeda’s Celtic story still has plenty of chapters left but it’s already obvious the 27-year-old has firmly secured his place as something even beyond cult hero status.
At this rate he’ll go down as a Parkhead legend. For a while, the wide man could infuriate punters as much as thrill them. There are some jagged edges that will always be there and there’s always going to be the odd shanked cross or duffed effort. But Celtic fans have learned to take the rough with the smooth because they know Maeda has become a man for the big moments.
His Celtic teammates know it too. Maeda didn’t have his best game at Hampden on Sunday. In fairness, a few of his Hoops teammates were in the same boat.
Yet he still produced when it really mattered. Maeda produced the kind of sublime touch and finish he sometimes surprises everyone with to bag the second goal in the Premier Sports Cup thriller. But it was his clinching spot kick that secured his place in Celtic folklore. It summed him up the fact he had the bottle to take the fifth penalty – and then scuffed it into the net.
Captain Callum McGregor has seen plenty of heroes come and go during his decade plus at Parkhead to know one when he sees one. And he reckons Maeda is worth his weight in gold – and silver – for the club. McGregor said: “Daizen has been unbelievable. He’s come up with so many big moments this season. But not only that, the whole time he’s been here he’s been a mainstay in the team and so important for us.
“His energy is infectious. He’s so robust for being a winger. His numbers are through the roof and he’s contributing with big moments, which is what being a Celtic player is all about.
“Daizen always turns up when we need him. To have someone like that at the top of the pitch, where we’re blessed with so much talent, we’re obviously delighted to have him.”
Maeda is the quiet man of the Celtic dressing room. Former no.1 Joe Hart admitted last week he’d barely spoken to the attacker in three seasons yet loved him to bits. The man who replaced Hart between the sticks is much more vocal behind the scenes – and he also managed some Hampden heroics.
Kasper Schmeichel produced a sensational shout out save – having made another sublime stop during the two hour epic before – to create his own Celtic legacy. McGregor said: “I thought Kasper would save one. I don’t want to do him a disservice because it’s hard to save penalties. But I did fancy him to save one and that’s another clean sweep for us in terms of scoring penalties.”
McGregor slotted one as well and he admitted there was no way he was going to shirk responsibility out there. He said: “Yes, of course, and also being a technical player. You get to these moments and you want to try and set the tone for the group as well.
“It’s always nice when it goes in. It came together perfectly for us at the end. Just trust yourself and trust each other. These things are a combination of what you build every day.
“Your relationships with people in the building and how we train. It’s everything. When those pressure moments are there, then that’s what you fall back on. You fall back on the trust and feeling inside the group. We all know we’ve got quality and we all trust each other, and the way that we work.
“We’ve shown that time and time again. So in those moments it was just about keeping your nerve and using your technique to get the outcome that you want.”
McGregor is used to getting what he wants. Incredibly, the Hoops skipper has won 13 cup competitions – and never lost a final. You can also chuck in four Youth Cup wins with the Celtic kids and he’s yet to collect a losers’ medal. It’s a stunning stat but the midfielder admitted Sunday was one of the hardest – and one of the most difficult for punters to watch.
McGregor said: “It was a tough game. A tight cup final between two good teams, who gave everything. We left nothing out there and both teams were trying to win the game. It was probably a good final for the neutral and not so much for our supporters!
“We put them through the ringer a wee bit. But the good thing about this group again is that, when under pressure, they can come through difficult moments.
“They produce moments of quality when there are super high-pressure points in games. That’s testament to the group. If you can’t play well, you make sure you still win the game and that’s what we did.”
McGregor was beaming with the trophy in his hand at the end but also gave an insight in to the sky high demands he sets at the club. He said: “You can always reflect and try to find out where you can be better But it feels much better when you’ve got another trophy in the bag and a medal around your neck.
“The ultimate aim is to win. I’m super proud of the group. We stuck together on what was a difficult day. It was an amazing win and we showed big personality again.”