"Aye, that's all well and good but can he do it on a cold winter's night in..." Delete the name of the ground as appropriate.

Kenny Dalglish could do it. Henrik Larsson could do it. The former Scotland international did it 173 times in 388 games for Celtic. Larsson did it 242 times in 315 appearances for the Hoops. Kyogo Furuhashi has done it 57 times in less than 90 matches for the Scottish champions

The Japanese striker's latest finish was a thing of beauty as he rifled home a stunning half-volley just before the break at Ibrox which proved to be the winning goal in the first Glasgow Derby of the season. It was Kyogo's sixth goal in his last six matches against Rangers. An incredible statistic which has seen comparisons drawn between the 28-year-old and Larsson in terms of his movement, his deadly eye for goal, quick brain and finishing prowess.

Both King Kenny and the King of Kings were named in the greatest-ever Celtic team as voted for by the supporters in 2002, the Swede being the only foreign player to have been afforded that accolade. Ask any Celtic fan and they will tell you that Dalglish and Larsson were world-class football operators. They did at the highest level for both club and country. No argument. 

Recently, it was King Kenny's turn to wax lyrical about Kyogo. There is no hyperbole regarding the former Vissel Kobe man, so much so that Dalglish labelled him the "bargain of the millennium".

Certainly, the £4.6million fee that Celtic lashed out in the summer of 2021 for his services looks every inch the steal that Dalglish opined. It's not as much of a robbery, though, as the £650,000 Celtic paid for Larsson from Feyenoord.

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Writing in his Sunday Post column, Dalglish said: "I need to commend the winning goal from Celtic’s Kyogo. It was an outstanding strike and just reaffirmed again what a wonderful talent he is. At a transfer fee of around £4m, he is one of the transfer bargains of the millennium."

Those last eight words are praise of the highest order from the last world-class player this country has produced. When King Kenny speaks about you like that, you sit up, notice, and listen. Kyogo is more than a talisman for Celtic. He has become as valuable to the club in terms of his contribution as much as Dalglish and Larsson in their heyday.

Celtic Way:

Kyogo goal contribution stats work out at every 1.28 matches on average. Despite Brendan Rodgers tweaking his role in the Celtc team, the forward has also enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2023/24 campaign with three goals and one assist in four Premiership matches. He has taken all of four touches to score those three goals. That tells its own story. Dynamic? Talismanic? Both those words do not even begin to cover it.

Kyogo has won five trophies at Celtic. He's currently contracted to the club until 2027. He swept the boards at the Player of the Year awards last season. At this rate, if he honours his current deal Kyogo will become the 31st entrant to add their name to the exclusive list of players who have bagged over 100 goals for Celtic. The names of Dalglish and Larsson are already etched on that famous list.

You can scour the football world for talent but when Celtic recruited Kyogo, little did they realise that they had just panned the Asian market for a nugget of solid gold. Although much to the Japan international's chagrin, there remains one box unticked. The Champions League group stage.

To be truly be mentioned in the same breath as King Kenny or the King of Kings, Kyogo will need to break his goalscoring duck in the Champions League this season. Six group games last season drew a blank from the attacker. Nobody will need to remind him of that. The Champions League equation/conundrum will be a simple one for Kyogo this season. He will be determined to prove himself on the greatest club stage of them all. Dalglish did. Larsson did.

Celtic Way:

Kyogo knows that by becoming an established player in the Champions League then it would prove once and for all that he can hack it against the best that European football's elite competition has to offer. Not only that, Kyogo's value would inevitably soar and that is a good thing for both the player and Celtic in the long run. It would also be one in the eye for those content to knock Scottish football constantly. Our game is not as bad as it is portrayed or as some would lead you to believe.

READ MORE: Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi's goals against Rangers analysed

Which brings me back to my original statement. Domestically over two years in Scotland Kyogo has proved that he can do it on a winter's night in any ground that you care to mention. The goalposts have changed for him drastically. The transfer of the millennium? He is, according to King Kenny. The best Celtic striker since the King of Kings? It's all subjective. Note the pre-fix on those two Celtic greats who hit the net with increased regularity both domestically and in Europe - King.

If Kyogo can have a prolific scoring campaign against the likes of Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid and Lazio then we might be adding a new pre-fix to his name.

If you know your history, then Celtic supporters will tell you that they were enthralled and wowed by King Kenny and they were held spellbound by the King of Kings. King Kyogo also has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

"Aye, that's all well and good but can Kyogo do it on a cold winter night in the De Kuip Stadium in Holland, the Stadio Olimpico in Italy, and the Metropolitano Stadium in Spain?" It's time to find out if he really can put a Cel-tick in that unticked box. That truly would be a most fitting version of 'The Winter's Tale'.