Daichi Kamada reached a major milestone for Crystal Palace on Thursday, making his 100th appearance for the club in the Eagles’ 2-2 UEFA Europa League draw away to Beşiktaş.
The midfielder’s Palace journey began with a start in the 2-1 defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the 2024/25 season. That match also carried historic significance for the club, as Kamada became the 1,000th different player to represent Palace in the league or a recognised cup competition since the club joined the Football League in 1920.
Kamada also became Palace’s first-ever Japanese player that day. His century of appearances has since included Premier League football, European competition and three trophies: the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League.
He played an important role in Palace’s run to European success last season, finishing joint-top of the club’s assists chart alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta. Kamada also scored in the semi-final first-leg victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, providing a memorable European goal during the campaign.
The midfielder’s form was recognised with consecutive Player of the Month awards for September and October 2025. He was particularly influential in the 3-0 win at Liverpool, helping create the moves that produced two Palace goals. More recently, his goal in the 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest made him only the second Asian player to score for Palace in the Premier League, after South Korea’s Lee Chung-yong.
