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Mitoma becomes Premier League's highest-scoring Japanese player

19 Jan 2025
Mitoma

Brighton midfielder moves clear of Shinji Okazaki with goal in 3-1 win at Man Utd

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Greatness comes from everywhere: Kaoru Mitoma

Kaoru Mitoma made history for Japan with his goal in Brighton & Hove Albion's 3-1 win at Manchester United. 

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Mitoma is now the outright highest-scoring Japanese player in Premier League history, with 15 goals, moving one clear of former Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki.

Mitoma also got an assist on Sunday at Old Trafford, taking him to 12 in his Premier League career, double the total of any other Japanese player.

Most goals/assists by Japanese players
Player Goals Player Assists
Kaoru Mitoma 15 Kaoru Mitoma 12
Shinji Okazaki 14 Shinji Kagawa 6
Maya Yoshida 6 Junichi Inamoto 6
Takumi Minamino 6 Shinji Okazaki 4
Shinji Kagawa 6 Takehiro Tomiyasu 3

Mitoma's goal at Old Trafford also moved him into the top five for most Premier League goals by players from Asia. He is now level with Ki Sung-yueng, the former Swansea City midfielder. 

Mitoma's 12 Premier League assists, meanwhile, are the third-most by an Asian. 

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min is by some distance the leader for both goals and assists by Asian players. 

Most goals/assists by Asian players
Player Goals Player Assists
Son Heung-min (South Korea) 126 Son Heung-min (South Korea) 68
Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea) 22 Park Ji-sung (South Korea) 21
Park Ji-sung (South Korea) 19 Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) 12
Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) 15 Lee Chung-yong (South Korea) 10
Ki Sung-yueng (South Korea) 15 Ki Sung-yueng (South Korea) 9

In terms of appearances, Mitoma has now played 74 times in the Premier League, the third-most among Japanese players and the 10th-most among Asians. 

Most apps by Japanese/Asian players
Japanese player Apps Asian player Apps
Maya Yoshida 154 Son Heung-min (South Korea) 322
Shinji Okazaki 114 Ki Sung-yueng (South Korea) 187
Kaoru Mitoma 74 Park Ji-sung (South Korea) 154
Junichi Inamoto 66 Maya Yoshida (Japan) 154
Takehiro Tomiyasu 65 Sun Jihai (China) 123
Takumi Minamino 40 Shinji Okazaki (Japan) 114
Shinji Kagawa 38 Ali Al Habsi (Oman) 111
Wataru Endo 37 Lee Chung-yong (South Korea) 105
Yoshinori Muto 25 Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea) 101
Hidetoshi Nakata 21 Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) 74
How many Asian players have won the PL?

Only four Asian players have ever won a Premier League title.

They are Park Ji-sung (South Korea), Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki and Takumi Minamino (all Japan).

Park was the first to do so, in 2006/07 - one of four Premier League titles he won with Manchester United. 

Kagawa also won it with Man Utd, in 2012/13 only, while Okazaki lifted the Trophy with Leicester City in 2015/16 before Minamino did so with Liverpool in 2019/20.

See: More Premier League statistics

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