ZeeboiKyogo Furuhashi has opened up about the emotional toll of being consistently overlooked by the Japan National Team during his time at Celtic, admitting it left him feeling “depressed and frustrated.”
The forward, who recently joined French Ligue 1 side Rennes in the latter stages of the January transfer window, has earned 22 international caps, with his most recent appearance for Hajime Moriyasu’s side coming against China in November.
Kyogo was consistently disregarded for selection for Japan:
Despite his exceptional performances for Celtic over a trophy-laden three-and-a-half-year spell in Glasgow, Kyogo was repeatedly left out of Japan’s national team squads.
Now, the 30-year-old has revealed how being excluded from the Samurai Blue affected him during his Celtic tenure. He recalled the moment he learned of yet another omission while traveling for a Champions League group-stage match.
Kyogo admitted that hearing the news was deeply frustrating but emphasized that he had to quickly refocus on his club duties.
‘I did my best to switch gears’:
Speaking to Lemino Football, Kyogo said: “It was really frustrating, to be honest. I think the announcement of the squad was on the day we were traveling for the Champions League away game.”
“I couldn’t let it dwell on me. To be honest, I was really depressed and frustrated, but I had to play in the Champions League, so I did my best to switch gears.”
Kyogo has suggested that proving himself in France could boost his chances of earning regular call-ups to the national team.
He explained: “I think that if I can prove my strength here in France by playing every week, I will be called up by the national team again and I will be able to show a different side of myself. I cannot claim to be called up with certainty, but if I can demonstrate my ability at Rennes, it definitely adds to my chances.”
“I just want to make an impact here and create chances for my teammates. I’m very pleased we won in my opening game. There are a lot of players in France with very high technical abilities, and I know I will challenge myself every day.”
Zeeboi
