Reo Hatate Opens Up on “Tough” Invisible Celtic Challenge

Reo Hatate was back to his brilliant best in Celtic’s 6-0 semi-final win over Aberdeen in the League Cup, delivering a dominant midfield performance that reminded fans of his quality.

Hatate’s journey at Celtic since joining from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 has been marked by both success on the field and some challenges behind the scenes, including adjusting to life in Scotland and the unique demands of European Football.

While Hatate has racked up an impressive list of trophies in his Celtic career, he recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes struggles he faced in adapting, especially around communication.

For Hatate, understanding the Scottish accent has been one of the more unexpected challenges in his move to Celtic.

He’s spoken in the past about not ducking in the huddle, so he can see Callum McGregor speak, which presumably is because he cant quite understand him, yet.

Reflecting on his experiences, Hatate acknowledged how difficult it has been to fully grasp the nuances of the local dialect, even as he works hard to improve his English.

Speaking to Celtic TV, after making his 100th appearance, he said:

“The accent is definitely tough. During matches, when I communicate with my teaMMAtes, they often abbreviate my message and respond ten times faster than expected, which can be hard to understand.

“But I have realised how crucial it is to communicate effectively on the pitch. It made me feel strongly that I need to keep studying English to communicate better with the team.”

Hatate is a player often unfairly overlooked by fans. He’s been great the past few weeks, but at the weekend, he took it to another level.

He’s such an intelligent Footballer who is always looking to move the Game forward and isn’t scared to play a risky pass.