Kyogo FURUHASHI

Born in 1995 in Ikoma in Japan, Furuhashi Kyōgo began his career in professional football in 2017 with Japanese Second Division outfit FC Gifu, scoring 17 goals in 68 matches. He would then get his first taste of top-flight football in his native Japan with Vissel Kobe the following year, and it would be with Kobe that his career would really take off. In 2019, he would also get his first call-up for the Japanese national team. In his first season with Vissel Kobe, he led them to their first-ever major final, scoring the winner in the semi final of the Emperor's Cup against Shimizu S-Pulse in a 3-1 victory, before scoring again in the final to secure his first silverware as a professional, beating Kashima Antlers in January 2020. He would continue to be a major player in the club's success, and Vissel Kobe also won the Supercup Final against Yokohama F Marinos, thanks to another goal from striker Furuhashi, who went on to net in the club's first experience of Asian Continental Cup against the Malaysian champions. In July 2021, he would leave Japan, having managed 42 goals in 95 games with Vissel Kobe, to sign for Celtic, in a deal worth around 4.5 Million Pounds. In August 2021, he demonstrated his goalscoring prowess immediately, scoring on his debut in the Preliminary Round of the UEFA Europa League against Jablonec, and his league debut in the Scottish Premier League saw him plunder a hat-trick against Dundee. In December 2021, Furuhashi added the Scottish League Cup to his list of titles, scoring a brace in Celtic's 2-1 victory in the Final against Hibernian The 2022/2023 season would see him take his first steps in the Champions League, against the giants of Real Madrird, and he celebrated a second League Cup in successive seasons, scoring twice in the Final against bitter rivals, Rangers. Furuhashi would go on to finish top scorer in the Scottish Premier with 27 goals, and was even elected Player of the Year by the Scottish FA. In 2023, he signed a four-year contract extension with Celtic, and also scored his first goal in the Champions League against Lazio. In the 2024/2025 season, he was yet again a talisman in the League Cup Final, this time overcoming Rangers in a penalty shootout, after the showpiece match finished 3-3;. With Stade Rennais struggling in Ligue 1, and on the lookout for a new centre forward, after the recruits from the 2024 Summer transfer window didn't cut the mustard, the club dipped back into the transfer market in January 2025, and convinced the Japanese internation to move to Brittany in a deal worth approximately 12 Million Euros on 24th January 2025, having finished his stint with Celtic with an impressive record of 63 goals in 113 appearances.