On 1st July 2024, Crystal Palace completed the signing of Japan international Daichi Kamada on a two-year deal, subject to international clearance.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has starred at the highest level for club and country, and joined Palace following the expiration of his contract at Serie A side Lazio.
Kamada was born in Iyo, which lies within the Ehime Prefecture of Japan on the island of Shikoku – the smallest of the country’s four main islands, housing a population of just 3.6 million people (as of 2022).
After leading the aptly named ‘Kids FC’ to glory as a youngster, Kamada’s first big break was joining Gamba Osaka as a 12-year-old. The Nerazzurri had just won the AFC Champions League and Kamada settled, but misfortune with injury saw him released just three years later.
Kamada responded to this adversity by blossoming into one of Japan’s brightest prospects, scoring more than a goal a game at high school and attracting attention from J-League big clubs. After graduating, he was signed by Sagan Tosu, and his professional career began. A season on loan in the lower divisions helped prepare Kamada for his J-League debut, and he was soon a crucial feature in the starting line-up, wearing the No. 7 shirt.
Kamada headed for Germany and Eintracht Frankfurt with a reportedly modest €2.5 million price tag to his name, and began to bed in slowly. After a move to the Belgian Professional League to gain first-team experience – where he scored 15 times in 34 league games – he returned to Frankfurt ready to make an impact.
He soon broke into the first-team, and netted his first goal in the German Cup, but he really made his name in London – North London. Facing Arsenal in the Europa League, Kamada scored twice in a 2-1 Frankfurt win at the Emirates Stadium in November 2019 to all-but-end the Unai Emery era and announce himself as one of Europe’s brightest prospects.
Injury threatened to halt his momentum, but a return in the European knockouts saw Kamada bag a hat-trick against RB Salzburg that same season. By the end of the season, he had reached double figures in all competitions.
Oliver Glasner arrived at Frankfurt for the start of the 2021/22 season, and helped Kamada repeat his London heroics by netting the winning goal against West Ham United in the semi-finals of the Europa League – his fifth and last European goal of the campaign. Frankfurt would go on to win the tournament, with Kamada playing a starring role in the final and scoring in the penalty shoot-out.
Nine goals in his first season under Glasner was followed up by 16 in the next campaign, putting yet another London club to the sword as he scored away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League in October 2022.
Sensational club form saw Kamada make his national team debut in March 2019 against Colombia, before scoring his first goal for the Samurai Blue against Mongolia later that year.
He made his World Cup debut for his country in Japan’s famous World Cup victory over Germany, before beating Spain in a phenomenal group-stage effort which saw them reach the knockout rounds and eliminate the four-time winners.
As Glasner left Frankfurt, so did Kamada, joining Lazio and scoring a typically crucial goal to endear himself to the supporters in a narrow victory away at Napoli in September 2023.
He went on to help Lazio to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and a seventh-place finish in Serie A, which secured a Europa League spot for the 2024/25 season.
Kamada's made his debut in red and blue in the opening game of 24/25 against Brentford, becoming Palace's 1000th player to play for the club since formally joining the Football League in 1920.
He scored his first goal for the club against Norwich City in the second round of the EFL Cup in August 2024, a well-taken finish to open the scoring in a 4-0 win.
His second goal for the club was also in the EFL Cup, coming in the fourth round tie against Aston Villa in October 2024 to win the game for Palace at Villa Park.
Kamada enjoyed a strong spell in the squad as the season went on, starting multiple games as part of the attacking trio or within the midfield. When he joined, he said he wanted to make history at the club, and he duly did so by playing the full 90 minutes in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
He finished his first season in red and blue with 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting three times.
Kamada built on that encouraging debut campaign with a sensational start to 2025/26, collecting consecutive Player of the Month awards for September and October. The Palace No.18 was particularly influential in the 3-0 win away to Liverpool, where he helped orchestrate the moves that led to two of our goals.
His all-round performances in the heart of midfield continued to stand out as Palace competed on multiple fronts.
Although injury disrupted his momentum through December and the turn of the new year, he returned to play a pivotal role in the Club’s first-ever major European trophy success, registering one goal and three assists en route to the final. He ended 25/26 with 46 appearances, scoring once and notching five assists.
His performances in red and blue were rewarded with selection in Japan’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kamada marked his tournament debut with a dramatic late equaliser against the Netherlands, scoring in the 89th minute as Japan earned a 2-2 draw in their opening group-stage match.
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