Daizen Maeda was born on 20 October 1997 in Taishi, Hyogo. After joining Matsumoto Yamaga out of high school, he spent loan spells at Mito Hollyhock and Portuguese side Marítimo before joining Yokohama F. Marinos, where his blistering pace and pressing intensity made him a fan favourite. He helped F. Marinos win the J1 League in 2019 (a year before he was fully on the books permanently from Matsumoto).
In January 2022 Celtic signed him on loan from F. Marinos, with a permanent move that summer. Under Ange Postecoglou and then Brendan Rodgers, Maeda became one of the Scottish Premiership's most relentless attackers — a flying winger who can also play through the middle, hunts pressing triggers from the front and finishes coolly when chances arrive. He has been instrumental in Celtic's continued domestic dominance, lifting the Premiership four years running, the Scottish Cup multiple times and the Scottish League Cup more than once.
His 2024–25 season was perhaps his best yet: 16 league goals in 34 matches, with 7 FA Cup goals and 6 League Cup goals on top, and 4 in the UEFA Champions League. By 2025–26 he had added another 10 league goals and several Europa League assists.
A direct, two-footed forward with elite acceleration and the work rate to lead the press, Maeda made his Japan debut in 2019 and was a regular at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including a high-profile starting role against Spain. He is also a fixture of the Japan setup heading into the 2026 World Cup.