There is a wonderful moment from the weekend's Glasgow Derby currently doing the viral rounds on social media involving Celtic winger Daizen Maeda.

The Japanese winger inexplicably leapt into the crowd at Celtic Park during the champions' 2-1 Scottish Premiership win over Rangers after his involvement led to the second goal - an own goal by John Lundstram - that turned out to be the clincher during the weekend's Glasgow Derby. It helped move Celtic to within touching distance of the league flag. A point against Kilmarnock will see green and white ribbons draped around the silverware for the 12th time in 13 seasons.

Maeda's moment of mad celebration was captured on 'X' - formerly known as Twitter - and clipped up with famous Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti's version of 'Nessun Dorma' accompanying it. The Celtic supporters have been lapping it up ever since. In Glasgow, Maeda appears to be living 'La Dolce Vita'.

It is now official. Maeda is a cult hero and icon of the Celtic support. He'll be forever mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Paolo di Canio, Jorge Cadete, Georgios Samaras, Artur Boruc, Fraser Forster, Bobo Balde, Ramon Vega, Lubomir Moravcik, Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard and of course his compatriot Shunsuke Nakamura. We'll get to him later. Maeda may not be the best footballer to have ever donned the green and white jersey but he is so loved and adored. We all 'Wanna Be Adored', don't we? Maeda most certainly is.

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For a man who rarely displays his emotions, it was one of the few times in his career that Maeda vaulted the hoardings and jumped into the stands to celebrate with supporters. That is why his sudden outburst of emotion at the weekend was a joy to watch. In that instant, Maeda understood perfectly why Celtic is a club like no other. Once this football club gets under your skin there is no turning back. It has indelibly touched Maeda's heart. He is a Celtic fanatic now and will remain so for life.

That is no mean feat considering the man who brought him over to Scotland, Ange Postecoglou flew the Celtic family nest last summer to manage Tottenham Hotspur. The emotional crutch and support had gone. One wouldn't have blamed Kyogo, Tomoki Iwata and Maeda for deciding that their futures also lay elsewhere. To a man, thankfully all remained in Glasgow's east end.

Maeda even made the home fans smile when to took to social media with a tongue-in-cheek response to being booked by match referee Willie Collum for his over-exuberant goal celebrations as he pleaded his ignorance. "I didn't know that if you go up to the fans you get a yellow card! Oh well!" said Maeda which was met with even more adulation from the Celtic fans.

It's fair to say Maeda is the Celtic's equivalent of Forrest Gump's 'Box of Chocolates'. You never know what you are going to get. No two performances from the 26-year-old are ever the same. He can go from world-beater to panel-beater in the blinking of an eye. Yet the Celtic supporters wouldn't have it any other way.

Maeda is the proverbial mixed bag of tricks. He is an incredible athlete with an incredible engine. He is a machine. He is a role player within the Celtic team and he knows his role inside out. His work ethic can never be questioned. He has boundless energy.

Maeda is the living embodiment of Tommy Burns's famous assertion that when someone pulls that jersey over their head they are not just playing for a football club but a people and a cause. If truth be told he is a striker to trade being played out of position but he has never once complained about his lot. Sure, he has technical flaws. His crossing and finishing borders on erratic but nobody can question his commitment to the cause...ever.

Postecoglou's mantra down G40 was 'We Never Stop. It was a team mantra. Maeda adopted it as his own. 'He Never Stops'...

His pace and non-stop running are a valuable asset for his team. Ironically, what he lacks in technical ability and skill he makes up in sheer hard graft and endeavour. Blood, sweat and tears go into every Celtic performance. Few harder workers are operating in European football at this moment.

He is a football manager's dream. It is a small wonder he is one of the most popular players in the Celtic dressing room. Maeda is a specialist type of player for Celtic. He is arguably one of the most unique players to have graced the green and white. 

Only last month he was supposed to be missing for the title run-in after contracting a hamstring injury in the 3-3 draw with Rangers. The miracle man defied medical science and recovered within three weeks and fans were genuinely asking if he was superhuman. His reintroduction to the first team fray from the sidelines in the 3-0 home league win against Hearts last weekend was cheered like a goal as he made his way back onto the field. He is truly appreciated. They love him down The Celtic Way.

READ MORE: Maeda gives blunt but hilarious reason for O'Riley POTY vote

Celtic Way:

Celtic have worshipped cult heroes from Japan before. The Land of the Rising Sun has been kind to Celtic if you know your history. Free-kick expert Nakamura has cause to remember Rugby Park. The reason Nakamura merits a mention is because history could well repeat itself on Wednesday night.

Back in 2007, Nakamura secured his place in Celtic folklore when he curled in a last-minute free-kick to win the title for Gordon Strachan's men away to Kilmarnock. 17 years on what are the chances of scoring the 2024 Scottish Premiership title-clinching goal being bestowed on the likes of Kyogo or Iwata or even better still Maeda? The latter would prove to be an extremely popular choice among the Celtic fans and his teammates. It would be a fitting climax to a season of incredible ups and downs for Celtic.

However, it is worth noting that Maeda is already a treble winner. He has won three titles in a row during his three years at Celtic. He has scored two goals against Rangers - both of them coming at Ibrox. As cult heroes go, Maeda is the real deal.

Just ask Rangers defender James Tavernier as the man from Japan has been the scourge of the Englishman since he arrived in Scotland. How do you solve a problem like Maeda? James Tavernier and Rangers haven't been able to.

Interestingly enough, the music from the viral clip 'Nessun Dorma' is an aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. The literal translation of 'Nessun Dorma' is: 'None Shall Sleep'. Every opposition defender who has ever faced Daizen Maeda in a Celtic jersey will vouch for that.