Kaoru Mitoma

Kaoru Mitoma (三笘 薫, Mitoma Kaoru; born 20 May 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Japan national team. He is best known for his dribbling ability. Club career Early years Born in Hita, Ōita, Mitoma eventually moved to Kawasaki, Kanagawa in his earlier days, where he grew up in Miyamae-ku. He then joined the Kawasaki Frontale academy at the U10 level. He was then offered a promotion from the U-18s to the senior team coached by Yahiro Kazama, but instead chose to enroll at the University of Tsukuba and join its football club, known for being a powerhouse club at university level; some of its alumni include Shogo Taniguchi and Shintaro Kurumaya. Mitoma professed to feeling unprepared to enter professional football at age 18, citing the struggles of fellow Kawasaki academy products Ko Itakura and Koji Miyoshi to win regular playing time with the senior squad. He wrote his university thesis on dribbling. During his time at Tsukuba, Mitoma was selected to represent Japan at the 2017 and 2019 Universiade tournaments, as well as the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Toulon Tournament with the under-23 national team. Playing in the Kanto University Soccer League with Tsukuba, he was named to the all-league XI in his final three seasons while majoring in physical education. In addition, Tsukuba appeared in the 2016 and 2017 Emperor's Cup tournaments making an upstart run to the round of 16 in the latter edition, upsetting J.League clubs YSCC Yokohama, Vegalta Sendai (against whom Mitoma scored a brace), and Avispa Fukuoka along the way. While enrolled in college, Mitoma also occasionally joined Frontale's senior team for training sessions as a Special Designated Player starting in his second year, appearing in a single J.League Cup match in 2019.