Daichi Kamada

Daichi Kamada (鎌田 大地, Kamada Daichi; born 5 August 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Japan national team.

After representing several Japanese football academies including school football, Kamada began his career at Sagan Tosu in early 2015, where he spent two and a half years. In the second half of 2017, he moved abroad to German club Eintracht Frankfurt. During his six years at the club, Kamada won the DFB-Pokal in the 2017–18 season and the UEFA Europa League in 2021–22, while he was loaned to Belgian club Sint-Truiden in the 2018−19 season.

In the second half of 2023, Kamada left Frankfurt to join Italian club Lazio on a two-year contract, however he departed the club a year early. In July 2024, Kamada joined Premier League side Crystal Palace, and he helped the club win the FA Cup in his first season.

A former Japan youth international, Kamada made his senior debut in 2019, and was part of his country's squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Born in Ehime, Japan, Kamada began playing football at "Kids FC" (now FC Zebra Kids) and helped the side win TV Ehime Cup Ehime Prefectural Youth Soccer Championship U-12 when he was in 6th grade of elementary school. When Kamada was in junior high school, he then joined Gamba Osaka and was selected for the U-13 J League. However, due to injuries, Kamada was released from the club and he returned to play school football, joining Higashiyama High School in 2012. Kamada quickly made an impact at Higashiyama, playing as an attacking midfielder. He went on to make 18 appearances and scored 22 at the end of the 2013 season.

In his third year at Higashiyama High School, Kamada was appointed captain, but they finished at the bottom of the league table with 2 wins and 13 losses. Despite this, he continued to impress, having scored ten goals, making him the fourth top scorer in the 2014 season. At the end of the 2014 season, Kamada's performance at Higashiyama High School having impressed many, he supposedly attracted interest from at least five J. League clubs following his graduation. On 17 November 2014, Kamada was announced as a new signing for Sagan Tosu for the 2015 season. Ahead of the 2015 season, he was given the number 24 shirt.

At the start of the 2015 season, Kamada was loaned out to J.League U-22, where he made two appearances for the side. He made his Sagan Tosu debut, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Albirex Niigata in the J.League Cup on 8 April. A month later on 10 May, Kamada scored his first goal on his J.League debut, having come on as a 72nd-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Matsumoto Yamaga. This was followed up by setting up the winning goal for Yohei Toyoda to help Sagan Tosu win 1–0. His first five appearances of the season earned him awarded New Hero Awards of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. He then set up two goals, in a 3–2 win against Kashiwa Reysol on 11 July. Eleven days later on 22 July 2015, Kamada scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Gamba Osaka. Having started out on the substitute bench, Kamada became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. Despite suffering an injury later in the 2015 season, he went on make twenty–eight appearances and score three times in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2016 season, Kamada signed a contract with the club. At the start of the season, he started in midfield for the first seven matches. Kamada contributed two assists in two matches between 2 and 6 April against Kashiwa Reysol and Vegalta Sendai. For his performance, he, once again, awarded New Hero Awards of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. However, during a match against Yokohama F. Marinos on 20 April, he suffered an elbow injury and was substituted as a result. Following this, it was announced on 22 April that Kamada was out for two weeks. It wasn't until 13 May when he returned to the starting line–up against FC Tokyo and played 55 minutes before being substituted, in a 0–0 draw. On 18 June, Kamada scored his first goals of the season, in a 2–1 win against Gamba Osaka. Since returning to the first team from injury, he regained his first team place for the rest of the season. Kamada then scored five more goals later in the season, including scoring twice in a 3–2 win against Kashiwa Reysol on 22 October. His goal against Kashiwa Reysol earned him J League Goal of the Month. By the end of the season, he made thirty–four appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions.