Celtic: Koki Mizuno

8 Koki Mizuno

Position: MF
Born: 06-Sep-1985
Height/Weight: 173/58
Birthplace: Shizuoka

Previous Teams: Shimizu Dairoku Jr.HS; Shimizu Shogyo HS

Matches (J1/J2): 86/0 Goals: 13/0

First Appearance: 17-Oct-2004 JEF United -vs- Shimizu S-Pulse (at Nihondaira Stadium)

First Goal : 20-Nov-2004 JEF United -vs- Vissel Kobe (at Ichihara Stadium)

J.League Statistics

Year Team Matches Goals

2004 JEF United 7 1

2005 JEF United 25 3

2006 JEF United 25 0

2007 JEF United 29 9

TOTAL 86 13

Koki Mizuno shares many things in common with his Celtic teammate, Shunsuke Nakamura. He is a rather slightly built player who relies moire on guile and technical skill than speed and power, has a brilliant touch of the ball, he is quite adept at set plays, he generally plays on the right side, either as a midfield wing or as a wing back. However, there are also a number of significant differences between the two which go well beyond age, experience, and the fact that Mizuno takes free kicks with his right foot.

For one thing, Mizuno did not burst immediately to stardom, as Nakamura did as a member of the U-20 national team. It took the Shimizu Shogyo HS star almost two years to impress JEF United coach Ivica Osim enough to start earning regular starts for the club team, and one could even argue that he would have remained in a marginal role if the elder Osim had not taken over the role of National Team coach. Mizuno was not one of the so-called "Osim Children", who enjoyed the coach's favour and were often pushed to the head of the line when it came time to name the national team roster. On the contrary, Mizuno did not fully blossom until Osim's son, Amar took over the coaching duties from his father in mid-2006.

Mizuno had been playing a wing back role for the Japan U-20 national team, and filled that position at the World Youth Championships in 2005. When Amar took over and adopted a formation that often utilized four backs, he gave Mizuno a permanent starting role, and the youngster responded, winning the Nabisco Cup MVP honours when JEF lifted the Cup in 2006.

Mizuno also moved up to the U-23 national team and made a major contribution to that team's qualification for the 2008 Olympic Games. It was at this point that Mizuno got his lucky break, as Celtic coach Gordon Strachan happened to watch some of the games on DVD and was impressed by several players. Of the J.Leaguers who piqued Celtic's interest, Mizuno was the most "available". By 2007, JEF United were in chaos both on the pitch and in the clubhouse. Mizuno and many of the other players who had formed the core of the team under Osim were eager to get out, and particularly so after Amar Osim was fired at the end of the 2007 season

Mizuno asked agent Roberto Takuda, who also represents Nakamura, to see if he could find a club in Europe that was interested in him. Sure enough, coach Strachan responded to an inquiry by Takuda with immediate interest, and by the start of 2008 Celtic were already taking steps to bring Mizuno to Europe. Although Mizuno did not have the necessary number of national team appearances to get a work permit in Scotland (Osim called him up only three times at the end of 2007, and barely used him), a special review board was sufficiently impressed by his skills to make an exception, and by mid-January 2008, Mizuno had his work permit and a spot on the Hoops roster effective from February 1. The local papers -- always eager to generate as much hype as possible -- were hailing Mizuno as "Japan's top young star" (a gross exaggeration, though it certainly didnt hurt to have so much publicity, when Mizuno was appealing for a work permit)

Fans in Scotland will need to dial back their expectations a bit. Although Mizuno is a very talented youngster, he definitely is not as mature or as well-rounded in his game as Nakamura was, when he arrived in Europe. He does have a few elements of his game that should make him a better match for Scottish football than Nakamura, such as speed down the wing, and a willingness to go in hard, to tackle the ball. Nevertheless, we suspect that it will take at least six months of "adjustment" before Mizuno is really at a level where he can vie for a spot in the Celtic lineup. As a long-term acquisition, though, Celtic will probably be happy with the deal. Since Mizuno and JEF United were barely talking by the end of 2007, the Glasgow club was able to pick him up for a pittance, and his contract wages wont put much strain on the team's finances either. The question of how quickly he can establish himself as a regular contributor to the team is not easy to answer. He certainly is not ready to be thrown into a Champions League contest against the likes of Barcelona, and with Celtic chasing Rangers in a tight league race, it might be risky to use him too soon in a league contest, as well. However, there is a wide gap in the SPL in terms of competitiveness, and if Mizuno can impress his coaches with a few appearances against some of the lower-level teams, perhaps he can position himself for a regular spot i the roster (at least as a reserve on the bench) by the start of the 2008/09 season.