Kaoru Mitoma Studied Dribbling at University

Kaoru Mitoma is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Japan national team.

Born in Kanagawa, Mitoma grew up in the Kawasaki area and joined the Frontale academy at the U10 level. Offered a promotion from the U-18s to the senior team coached by Yahiro Kazama, he chose instead the University of Tsukuba, a Japanese university football powerhouse who had recently produced Frontale stalwarts such as Shogo Taniguchi and Shintaro Kurumaya. Mitoma professed to feel unprepared to enter professional football at age 18, citing the struggles of fellow Kawasaki academy products Ko Itakura and Koji Miyoshi to win regular playing time with the senior squad.[4][5] He wrote his university thesis on dribbling.