Celtic’s march towards yet another Scottish Premiership title at Parkhead continued this week.
On Tuesday night, the Hoops swatted aside Aberdeen 5-1 at Parkhead, with Daizen Maeda scoring both the first and the last goals of the evening, with Jota, Callum McGregor and Yang Hyun-jun on target in between.
The Celts therefore remain 13 points clear of Rangers at the top, ahead of Saturday evening’s trip to St Mirren.
Meanwhile, a former Celtic striker, who Brendan Rodgers thought so highly of, is not living up to expectations elsewhere, enjoying two goal-filled, trophy-laden years in Glasgow, but having now disappeared into the footballing wilderness.
Celtic's best modern-day strikers
Daizen Maeda’s double on Tuesday took his tally to 54 goals for Celtic, a whopping 25 of which have come this season, hence why current right-back Alistair Johnston described the Japanese forward as “one of the most in-form players in Europe”.
Meanwhile, speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club, former Hibs and Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart believes that Maeda has “stepped up a level” this season, becoming “top class”.
So, let’s analyse how he compares to Celtic’s other best centre-forward of the last decade or so.
Daizen Maeda
2022-present
54
188
4
Kyōgo Furuhashi
2021-25
85
126
8
Odsonne Édouard
2017-21
87
140
7
Moussa Dembélé
2016-18
51
121
7
Leigh Griffiths
2014-21
123
118
3
As the table outlines, somewhat surprisingly, Leigh Griffiths boasts the best minute-per-goal ratio of any Celtic striker over the past decade, also spending the longest period of time at the club.
One of the centre-forwards on that list, who racked up very impressive statistics during his time in Glasgow, has not quite lived up to the hype since departing for pastures new.
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Shortly before his 20th birthday, Moussa Dembélé joined Celtic on a free transfer from Fulham, becoming Rodgers’ first signing for the club back in 2016.
Well, the Frenchman would make quite the impression, straight away scoring crucial goals during Champions League qualifiers against Astana and Hapoel Be’er Sheva, before netting a perfect hat-trick during his Old Firm debut, a thumping 5-1 victory, becoming the first Celtic player to score a Glasgow derby hat-trick since Stevie Chalmers in 1966.
Dembélé then starred in the Champions League group phase too, bagging a brace on matchday two against Manchester City, before also netting away at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
This makes him one of only nine Celtic players to have scored three or more goals in a single European Cup campaign since 1978, as outlined below.
Maeda
4
2024/25
Idah
3
2024/25
Kühn
3
2024/25
Dembélé
3
2016/17
Samaras
3
2012/13
Miller
3
2006/07
Sutton
3
2003/04
Larsson
3
2001/02
Mo Johnston
3
1986/87
His manager Rodgers described the striker as an “outstanding young talent”, before also adding he has the potential to be “world-class”.
In total, Dembélé scored 32 goals during his first season at Celtic and then 16 times the following campaign, winning back-to-back trebles, before he was sold to Olympique Lyonnais for £20m, at the time a Scottish transfer record fee.
He scored a respectable 70 goals in 172 appearances for Lyon, spending a brief period on loan at Atlético Madrid, only featuring seven times for los Colchoneros, not starting a single match, but earning a La Liga winners’ medal.
Following the expiration of his Lyon contract in 2023, Dembélé joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.
There, up until his sacking in January, his manager was former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, also playing alongside current Scotland international Jack Hendry as well as ex-Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Dembélé did score 12 Saudi Pro League goals last season, only 12 players managed more, netting 21 times overall, but won’t be adding to this tally any time soon, undergoing surgery on a ruptured achilles tendon suffered against Al-Okhdood earlier this month.
At 28-years-old, the Frenchman should be in his prime, but is now set to be sidelined for around nine months, hence why his Transfermarkt value has plummeted to around £7m, at his peak he was worth around six times that, proving that Celtic were right to cash in when they did.
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1 ByBen Gray