Kaoru Mitoma wins Japan PFA Player of the Year Award
A little bit of history has been made by Kaoru Mitoma after the Brighton winger was named the first ever Japan PFA Player of the Year.
Mitoma was also named in the Japan PFA Team of the Year along with nine of his teammates from the Samurai Blue squad, who were one of the most exciting teams at the World Cup.
Japan beat both Germany and Spain in Qatar before falling to a cruel elimination on penalties in the round of 16 against knockout specialists Croatia.
The Samurai Blue scored just one of their spot kicks, perhaps explaining why Mitoma looks so at home at Brighton and why Albion fans had a lot of love for Japan during the tournament.
Mitoma started his 2022 on loan in Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise, helping Tony Bloom’s Belgian club to finish top of the Jupiler Pro League at the end of the regular season.
Belgian football splits into different conferences for the final six games, where Union missed out on claiming a first league championship since 1935 to Gent.
Mitoma did not make his first appearance of 2023 for Union until the middle of February because of a sprained ankle.
He started three games and made three substitute appearances before the league split at the end of April, registering one assist.
In the mini-league to decide the top four, Mitoma started five of Union’s six games with a return of two goals.
Such numbers suggest that he hardly set the Belgian League alight. Not many people would have been predicting the impact he would make upon arriving at the Amex for the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
There were glimpses of Mitoma’s ability in run outs from the bench under Graham Potter. Mitoma had to be patient for a starting opportunity, which arrived when Roberto De Zerbi handed him a full debut against Chelsea at the Amex.
It proved to be well worth the wait. Mitoma was phenomenal as Brighton humiliated Glow Up and his new employers 4-1.
Mitoma has since become one of the first names on De Zerbi’s team sheet, scoring four times and claiming two assists in his past eight appearances.
Before the emergence of Mitoma, there was a real sense of foreboding over the refusal of Leandro Trossard to sign a new contract.
The Vampire of Genk was the Albion’s main source of goals whether he was played on the left or through the middle.
Now though Brighton find themselves in a position whereby Trossard can spend his weekend sulking the other side of the English Channel and the Seagulls can still score three times past Liverpool.
Such has been the form of Mitoma post-Qatar that he was voted WAB Player of the Month for November and December, as well as topping the WAB Power Rankings as the highest rated Seagull in the final month of 2022.
Being named Japan PFA Player of the Year is a well-deserved accolade for Mitoma. Based on what we have seen in his five months at Brighton so far, it will be the first of many such awards for a 25-year-old who has the world at his feet.
