Kaoru Mitoma voted WAB February 2025 Brighton Player of the Month

March 4, 2025March 4, 2025 WeAreBrighton.com 0 Comments

Kaoru Mitoma started February 2025 rejecting the opportunity to get very rich very quickly by opting to stay with Brighton rather than consider a move to the Saudi Sportswashing League. He ends it being voted WAB Player of the Month after a series of world class performances made a mockery of even the £90 million Al Nassr were prepared to offer the Albion.

Not that Brighton needed to worry about negotiations. Mitoma wanting to play at the best level possible rather than lining his pockets meant no obscene oil funded wage could tempt the Japanese Bullet Train into beheading to Saudi Arabia.

Although nobody could have blamed him for thinking “What the くそ have I done?” following the Albion’s opening game of February. From turning down something a rumoured £325,000-per-week on Friday to losing 7-0 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Life can be a cruel mistress.

Not that the distress lasted for long. Brighton bounced back from their heaviest league defeat since 1958 in impressive style, winning all four of their other games in February 2025 with Mitoma playing a starring role.

He scored the winner in the 2-1 FA Cup victory over Chelsea, somehow getting a ball which was around 70 feet up in the air under control before volleying beyond the onrushing Robert Sanchez.

The goal rather fantastically left all of Sanchez, Moises Caciedo and Marc Cucurella on the ground as the Albion eliminated the billion pound bottle jobs from the world’s greater cup competition.

Better was of course to come six days later against the same opponents when Mitoma scored a Brighton Goal of the Season contender.

A long kick forward from Bart Verbruggen was cushioned out of the sky with perhaps the greatest first touch ever produced by an Albion player. Mitoma then riffled past Filip Jorgensen, Sanchez having hilariously lost his place as Blues number one.

Another goal followed via a beautiful finish dinked over Aaron Ramsdale in the 4-0 routing of Southampton at St Mary’s, leaving Mitoma on three from five February 2025 appearances.

Not far behind Mitoma in the vote came Georginio Rutter, who was only five percent away from defending his crown having won WAB Brighton January 2025 Player of the Month.

Rutter netted an excellent equalising header against Chelsea in the FA Cup before going onto set up Mitoma for the winner. The Frenchman clearly enjoys the competition, having scored twice in the previous round at Norwich City.

The trip to Southampton brought another goal and another assist. Rutter showed great strength to hold off the challenge of a Saints defender when playing a one-two with Joao Pedro.

Pedro subsequently streaked clear of the home back line and defied Ramsdale with a finish replicated by Mitoma later in the second half.

Rutter got on the scoresheet himself with the second Albion goal. He won possession before releasing Yankubu Minteh down the right.

Rutter then charged into the box to easily convert a magnificent outside of the boot pass across the face of goal from Minteh.

There was one final assist for Rutter in February. His clever through ball fed Danny Welbeck for the winner against Bournemouth.

Whilst the Amex exploded in celebration, Rutter flapped his arms and jumped around like a seagull having some sort of fit. Oh to be able to read what his going through his mind sometimes.

Third placed in the vote went to Adam Webster, whose contribution is best summed up by the Albion’s record with and without him in the team during February.

Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke as a centre back partnership shipped eight goals in one-and-a-half games togther.

From the moment Webster came into the defence at half time of the Chelsea FA Cup game, Brighton conceded only once in three-and-a-half games. And that was an absolute wonder strike from Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth.

On the subject of Bournemouth, we have to take the unusual step of also mentioning the player who finished fourth in this particular Player of the Month poll – Minteh.

You can probably guess why in 22 words – attempted bicycle kick clearance inside his own box 70 yards up into the air and out for a corner against the Cherries.