Celtic striker Kyogo has made his mark in Glasgow since moving to the club 18 months ago. The Japanese star was the first player Ange Postecoglou brought in from the J-League.

The energetic striker came into the club and quickly became a fan favourite. However, before becoming a footballer, Kyogo was heading down a very different sporting path back in his home country.

The wee man was a swimmer! Competing in swim meets, encouraged by his mother. Check out this video that’s materialised

You may not believe this, but Kyogo used to be a swimmer🏊
It all started when his mother take him swimming lessons to turn weakness of his physical constitution into stronger. His inexhaustible stamina would not have materialized without his mother's supports👏 pic.twitter.com/gIS5v7wN1Q

— Yatao (@yataoda4) November 19, 2022

It makes sense! Kyogo’s energy during a football game is ridiculous and his fitness is hard to match. It makes sense he would take part in a high energy sport like swimming.

Lucky for Celtic, he found football and Ange brought him to Celtic!

The Japanese forward single handily won Celtic the League cup last season, scoring a brace against Hibernian back in December 2021. It would help propel Ange and Celtic to a famous league title win.

This season, the striker is already scoring plenty. His performances in Europe haven’t been to the standard he’s set domestically, but it’s been a learning curve for a lot of the Celtic team.

It was a shock to see Kyogo miss out on Japan’s World Cup squad. Instead, he’s travelled with Celtic to Australia.