‘Huge’: Furuhashi shares what Barcelona icon Iniesta told him of Celtic before £4.5m move

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Kyogo Furuhashi has told The Scottish Sun that Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta said he found playing at Celtic a real challenge, while offering advice to his former Vissel Kobe teammate.

Celtic signed Furuhashi from Vissel Kobe for £4.5m in July to strengthen Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Hoops attack. But before the Japan international headed for Glasgow, he sought words of wisdom from the Spain legend.

Iniesta played against Celtic seven times in the Champions League while at Barcelona, and scored twice. The 37-year-old was also on the field as the Catalan side lost 2-1 at Parkhead in 2012. A stadium where Furuhashi claims Iniesta felt the pressure from Celtic’s supporters.

That’s a big claim for a player like Iniesta, who featured in 38 El Classicos and has faced Real Madrid more often than any side. He also won four Champions Leagues, scored the only goal of the 2010 World Cup final and UEFA named him the Player of Euro 2012.

“Iniesta is a teacher, a big brother and family to me,” Furuhashi said. “I have great respect for him. We played a lot together. He’s a quiet person but I learned a lot from him. I feel a special connection with him, and really enjoyed playing alongside him at Kobe.

“Iniesta played against Celtic with Barcelona, and he told me the power of the supporters was huge. For him, Celtic Park was a really tough stadium. But for me being on the other side, and being part of Celtic, makes me excited to experience it.”

Furuhashi well prepared for fruitful Celtic spell after Iniesta advice

Furuhashi should be well prepared to enjoy a fruitful career at Celtic after receiving advice from Iniesta. The Spain icon will have let his former Vissel Kobe teammate know what’s in store at Parkhead before his arrival, so that he is not too daunted by the pressure from fans.

Celtic supporters are yet to truly see what Furuhashi is capable of producing in Glasgow. He only featured for 11 minutes against Hearts on Saturday for his debut under Postecoglou.

The 26-year-old was riding a wave of stellar form in the J1 League before leaving Vissel Kobe, though. Furuhashi had scored 15 goals in 21 games, and netted once while offering two assists for Japan in June’s friendlies. A record Postecoglou will hope he now builds on.