Kaoru Mitoma's sensational strike for Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea has won the February 2025 Guinness Goal of the Month award.
Mitoma produced an incredible piece of control to bring down Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's long pass before dribbling away from Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and whipping an unstoppable low finish past Filip Jorgensen from just outside the box. It was the first goal in a 3-0 win for Brighton.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said of Mitoma’s control: “The touch is as good as anything we will see in the Premier League this season. It’s [Lionel] Messi-like.”
Mitoma's strike was also lauded by his head coach Fabian Hurzeler: “If I look back on my career, I don’t know if I ever saw something like this as a coach from my own player, because it was very special," said Hurzeler.
The 27-year-old has scored 17 Premier League goals for Brighton and this is his second Guinness Goal of the Month win, having become the first Japanese player to claim a Premier League monthly award with his superb strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers that earned August 2023's accolade.
Mitoma is now just one Guinness Goal of the Month award behind Andros Townsend and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, both of whom jointly hold the record for most wins, with three each, since the award started in 2016/17.
Mitoma's goal topped a shortlist of eight of the best in February after votes from the public were combined with those of a panel of experts.
2024/25 Guinness Goal of the Month winners
August: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
September: Jhon Duran (Aston Villa)
October: Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
November: Harry Wilson (Fulham)
December: Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
January: David Brooks (AFC Bournemouth)