Kaoru Mitoma grew up in Kawasaki, Japan, and famously chose to go to university rather than turn professional straight away, writing his graduation thesis on dribbling, using a head camera to study how he beat opponents.
He joined Kawasaki Frontale in 2020 and helped them win the J1 League title. Brighton signed him in 2021 and loaned him to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, where he impressed, before he broke into Brighton’s first team in 2022. His dribbling on the left wing quickly made him one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.
Mitoma is a key player for Japan and played at the 2022 World Cup, where his last-gasp cross from near the byline set up the winner against Spain.
Career in numbers
Across 10 seasons of senior club football, beginning in 2016, Mitoma has played 231 matches and scored 67 goals for 4 clubs. The 2020 season, with 18 goals from 37 matches for Kawasaki Frontale, remains his highest tally. His busiest campaign was 2024/25, with 41 appearances. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.