Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma has once again proved he is one the Premier League's most in-form players with an outstanding finish in their clash against Leicester.
The Japanese international, who joined the Seagulls from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 for £2.5 million, has become a fan favourite in his breakthrough season at the Amex.
And on Saturday afternoon, Mitoma continued his impressive run of form with a goal of the very highest quality.
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He cut inside from the left and struck a cracking effort from outside the box to leave Foxes goalkeeper Danny Ward with no chance between the sticks. How good is this?
Mitoma, who enjoyed a season-long loan at Belgian outfit Royal Union Saint-Gilloise after joining Brighton, has shown great promise from a young age.
In fact, he was offered a professional contract by local J1 League outfit Kawasaki Frontale when he was 16.
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But instead of taking it with both hands, like most teenagers would, the Kanagawa-born forward rejected the proposal as he felt he was not prepared for the challenges of pro football.
In the coming weeks, Mitoma would accept an offer to study physical education at the University of Tsukuba.
"I thought it would be better to go to university in order to make it as a professional footballer,” Mitoma said in a recent interview with Eurosport. "So I studied lots of things – coaching, sports and nutrition. I learned lots of things.”
As well as attending lectures, Mitoma would develop as a footballer, representing Japan at a number of university tournaments.
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But at the same time, he was absolutely engrossed in his studies, so the highly-rated forward decided to go above and beyond when writing his graduation thesis on the process of dribbling.
His research involved fixing a GoPro camera to his head to record his movements, examining which ones enabled him to get past opponents.
If you watch Mitoma dribble, he tends to keeps an eye on the opponent and the space in front of him rather than look down. "I am conscious of shifting the opponent's center of gravity," he said in his thesis. "If I can move the opponent's body, I win."
Two years after deciding to study, Mitoma would eventually sign for Kawasaki Frontale and would go on to score 30 goals in 64 games for soon-to-be J1 League champions.
Thoughts on Mitoma's form this season?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Premier LeagueTopics: Brighton And Hove Albion, Leicester City, Premier League
