For a long time, ‘Asia’s best goal scorer’ on the European stage was Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham). While Son Heung-min slowed down for a while this season, the challenge of Japanese strikers is strong. Japanese strikers in the 2022-2023 season are in the spotlight on the European stage. Kaoru Mi Toma (26), who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, has been active since his first season in the English Premier League.

In the 22nd round of the league home game against Bournemouth on the 5th, Mitoma scored the winning goal by connecting a cross from the side at the end of the game, which was 0-0, with a header. He has scored 4 goals in the last 5 matches. Mitoma entered the European stage by joining Brighton in the summer of 2021, and was immediately recognized for his scoring ability (8 goals in the official match) in the Belgian league, where he transferred on loan. He returned to Brighton this season and quickly jumped to the starting lineup. He scored against Bournemouth and is currently scoring his 5th goal of the season with goals in 2 consecutive matches. In particular, after the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year, the upward curve is remarkable.

Previously, in the 20th round, he failed to score a goal against Liverpool, the runner-up in the league last season, but was noted for his speed and individuality that shook defenders.

British ‘BBC’ football commentator Garth Crooks praised him as “the most interesting player to appear in a Brighton uniform since Peter Ward in the 1970s.” Denis Undaf, a German striker who joined Brighton after playing in the Belgian league, said, “Mitoma shows better play than last season (playing in Belgium). He creates one-on-one situations and knows when to pass a pass to a teammate that makes the difference. He beats almost any ball competition.”

In response to the heightened interest in Mitoma, Brighton posted an interview with Mitoma on its website. Mitoma said, “I try not to mind (the heightened interest). In a way, I enjoy that pressure,” he expressed overflowing confidence.

‘Eurosport’ also reported Arsenal’s interest, saying that Mitoma’s share price is rising in the transfer market this summer. When he transferred to Brighton from Japan, the transfer fee was 2.5 million pounds (approximately 3.78 billion won), but it was said that it soared to 35 million pounds (approximately 52.9 billion won). 슬롯사이트

The performance of Kyogo Furuhashi (27), who plays for the prestigious Celtic in Scotland, is also surprising. Furuhashi scored the team’s second goal in an away match against St Johnstone in the 25th round of the Scottish Premiership, which the team won 4-1 on the 6th. This is the 19th goal of the season for Furuhashi, who is currently ranked first in league scoring. Furuhashi has scored 22 goals (four assists) in 32 official matches of the season, and is ranked 6th in the overall scoring rankings in the European League.

The voice of selection for the national team is growing louder for Furuhashi, who did not make it to the final entry for the Qatar World Cup despite showing steady scoring power at Celtic. Japan, which reached the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, renewed the contract with head coach Hajime Moriyasu. It’s a bad situation for Furuhashi, who was not selected because he didn’t match the team colors, but public opinion in Japan is cheering him on. Japan’s ‘Football Channel’ said, “Furuhashi is an explosive striker. Among the players playing in Europe, no Japanese striker has shown such an activity in the past. We need to restructure the attack with Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) centered on Furuhashi.”