In May 2022, in the last match of the loan transfer to Belgium, the incident with the fans was exciting.
No one would argue that Kaoru Mitoma (25) was the most famous Japanese player at the Qatar World Cup.
“Not giving up until the end, as evidenced by the “three millimeters of one millimetre,” and the quick dribbling that broke through tough European defenders, they were undoubtedly the trump cards of the national team’s attack Japan. ” (Football writer living in the UK)
Even in the restarted English Premier League, Mitoma’s momentum does not stop. Won a regular game at Brighton and scored 2 goals in 3 league games until the 14th. Even in the FA Cup match against Middlesbrough on the 7th, he contributed to the victory with one assist.
[Erthygl gysylltiedig: Shinji Kagawa yn gwylltio yn erbyn Adidas a dalodd 25 biliwn yen i “allan o rym”]
Mitoma managed to dribble 8 times in the penalty area of the opponent’s team in the 5 major leagues in Europe this season, leading to chances (according to data analysis company “Opta”).
This is the Qatar World Cup, following Lionel Messi (35, Paris Saint-Germain), who contributed to his native country, Argentina’s third victory in the 9th, and Gabriel Jesus (25, Arsenal) from the national team of Brazil and Thailand.
“Furthermore, it was after the World Cup that Mitoma became a regular at Brighton. Compared to Messi and Jesus, he played less time, and Opta emphasizes that he has only started in 6 out of 18 games .” (Author previously mentioned)
In Japan, Mitoma was selected as the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in the “JPFA Award” sponsored by the Japan Professional Footballers Association, which was newly established in 2022.
It’s a natural reward if you see the success in the World Cup and the Premier League, but Brighton had an eye on Mitoma’s ability from an early stage. A former writer speaks.
“When he joined Brighton from Kawasaki F in August 2021, the transfer fee was around 390 million yen.
Initially, Mitoma did not meet the requirements for the Premier League, and immediately after the transfer, he was transferred to a Belgian club on loan. Brighton knew Mitoma wouldn’t be able to play for the team for a while and still got him.”
And now, the foreign media are reporting that the prestigious Arsenal are aiming for Mitoma.
“In that case, it wouldn’t be surprising if the transfer fee was 4 billion yen instead of 2 billion yen. However, Brighton fans say, ‘Mitoma should never be sold’. “Before)
Koji Watanabe, a cameraman who has shot Santoma many times, speaks for the fans’ thoughts.
“It’s great to see how Mitoma treats the fans. After the training, he stays on the ground until the end and carefully signs autographs one by one. It doesn’t change whether it’s the Japanese national team or Brighton . Talk to him. I feel like he has a good personality, and when I point my camera at him, he poses with a smile on his face.”
Behind the surprise of the local fans, Mitoma was the last “consideration of 1 mm” after practice.
( Weekly edition of FLASH February 7, 2023 )
