Already renowned among J. League diehards for his exploits with domestic powerhouse Kawasaki Frontale, Kaoru Mitoma rocketed to national prominence by scoring both goals in Japan's 2-0 victory over Australia in March that sent the Samurai Blue through to the 2022 World Cup.
The 25-year-old winger turned the Asian Group B qualifying match on its head after coming off the bench in the 84th minute at Sydney's Stadium Australia, staking his claim to a bigger role for the national team.
The leading vote-getter for the J. League's Best XI with Frontale in 2020, Mitoma was part of the Japanese men's team that finished fourth at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, but he has played just three games for Hajime Moriyasu's senior national squad to date.