Born in Japan on 21st November 1997, Reo Hatate is a naturally talented midfielder who currently graces the pitch for Celtic Football Club. Largely operating in the central midfield position, Hatate stands 5ft 7in (1.71m) tall, weighs 11 stone (70kg), and proudly dons the number 41 jersey. Additionally, he has had the honour of representing his home country's national team.
Presently, Hatate holds a market value of around £10.1m, a figure as per the metrics provided by Transfermarkt.
His professional career took off in August 2018 when he enrolled with Kawasaki Frontale, a top-tier team in the J1 League in Japan. In his debut season (2019), Hatate made just one first team appearance in league matches. However, his performances picked up with 31 first team appearances and five league goals in 2020, followed up by thirty appearances and five goals in 2021.
A significant breakthrough came for Hatate in January 2022 when he swapped the J1 League for the Scottish Premiership by joining Celtic for an approximate fee of £1.4m. The season of 2021-2022 marked his debut season at Celtic, where he made 17 first team appearances and contributed four league goals. Proving his worth and winning over the support of Green Brigade, Hatate showed improvements with each passing season, recording four goals and 17 appearances in his first season, to 32 appearances and six goals in his second at Celtic.
Continuing his upward trajectory, he represented Celtic on the pitch 16 times and netted three goals in the 2023-2024 season, and 37 times with ten goals to his name in the 2024-2025 season. Currently, in the 2025-2026 season, Hatate has clocked in 25 games and offered two goals.
Aside from his league ventures, Hatate has also shone on other platforms. In the 2025-2026 season, he represented Celtic in the League Cup where he scored once in two starts and one substitution. He also played in the Scottish Cup with two starts and one substitution. His international prowess is evident from his performance in World Cup Qualifiers Asia 2024-2026 for Japan with one start and two appearances as a substitute. His European outings for Celtic in the 2025-2026 season included two starts in the Champions League Qualifiers and six starts and three substitutions in the Europa League, in which he netted three goals.
