Baptism of praise continues for Kaoru Mitoma (25, Brighton).
The British national broadcaster ‘BBC’ said on the 2nd (Korean time), “Mitoma broke the record for the most goals in a season in the English Premier League (메이저놀이터EPL) among Japanese players. Mitoma is a player on a different level.”
Also, “Celtic coach Anje Posteglu confessed that he tried to recruit Mitoma, who played for Kawasaki Frontale in the Japanese J-League, but lost the scouting competition with Brighton. Coach Posteglu has been keeping an eye on Mitoma since five years ago,” he added. “Mitoma, who almost went to Celtic, has been reborn as the top striker in the Premier League.”
Mitoma set a new record in the 29th round of the Premier League in the 2022-23 season against Brentford held at Palmer Stadium in Brighton, England on the 1st. Mitoma equalized with a lob shot in the 21st minute with Brighton trailing 0-1.
The goal was Mitoma’s 7th Premier League goal this season. In the past, Shinji Okazaki (36, Sint Trawidon) and Shinji Kagawa (34, Cerezo Osaka) had 6 goals, the highest score in a single season in the Japanese Premier League. The official Premier League social media (SNS) account also congratulated Mitoma on achieving a new record.
Expanding beyond the Premier League to other competitions, Mitoma has scored 10 goals in 28 official matches this season. He scored a total of 10 goals, including 7 Premier League goals, 2 FA Cup goals and 1 Carabao Cup (League Cup) goal. The Japanese national team scored the first goal in the match against Colombia held in Osaka on the 28th.
For reference, the record for the most goals scored by an Asian player in the Premier League was set by Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham). Son Heung-min scored 23 goals in 35 Premier League matches last season, becoming the top scorer. He scored 17 goals in the 2020-21 season and 14 goals in the 2016-17 season, holding both the top 3 records for the most goals scored by an Asian player in the Premier League.