Kōji Miyoshi

Koji Miyoshi (三好 康児, Miyoshi Kōji; born 26 March 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Bundesliga club VfL Bochum and the Japan national team. He previously played domestically for Kawasaki Frontale, from where he spent time on loan with the J.League U-22 Selection, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Yokohama F. Marinos. He joined Belgian club Royal Antwerp, initially on loan, in 2019, and four years later joined English club Birmingham City, where he spent just over one season before signing for Bochum.

Koji Miyoshi
三好 康児

Personal information
Full name	Koji Miyoshi[1]
Date of birth	(1997-03-26) 26 March 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth	Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Japan
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team	VfL Bochum
Number	23
Youth career
2007–2014	Kawasaki Frontale
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2020	Kawasaki Frontale	31	(5)
2015	→ J. League U22 (loan)	8	(1)
2018	→ Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (loan)	27	(3)
2019	→ Yokohama F. Marinos (loan)	19	(3)
2019–2020	→ Royal Antwerp (loan)	14	(1)
2020–2023	Royal Antwerp	58	(5)
2023–2024	Birmingham City	46	(6)
2024–	VfL Bochum	15	(1)
International career‡
2013	Japan U17	3	(0)
2013–2015	Japan U18	9	(2)
2016	Japan U19	9	(3)
2017	Japan U20	5	(0)
2018	Japan U21	7	(3)
2018–2021	Japan U23	13	(2)
2019–	Japan	5	(2)
Medal record Representing  Japan Asian Games 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team AFC U-19 Championship 2016 Bahrain AFC U-16 Championship 2012 Iran
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:30, 17 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:17, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Miyoshi was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa.

On 20 August 2019, he joined Belgian First Division A side Royal Antwerp on loan for a year from Kawasaki Frontale with an option to make the deal permanent.^[2] In 2023, Miyoshi was part of the Antwerp squad that won the club their first league title in 66 years.^[3][4]

Birmingham City

Miyoshi joined English Championship club Birmingham City in June 2023 after his contract with Royal Antwerp expired.^[5] He made his debut for the club, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw with Swansea City on 5 August.^[6] Miyoshi scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Bristol City on 29 August.^[7] In a chaotic season for Birmingham with multiple managerial changes, at the end of which the team were relegated to the third tier, Miyoshi appeared in all but three matches, scoring six goals and making six assists in league competition.^[8][9]

VfL Bochum

Miyoshi signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga club VfL Bochum on 30 August 2024; the fee was undisclosed.^[10][11]

International career

In October 2013, Miyoshi was picked for the Japan U-17 national team for the 2013 U-17 World Cup. He played three matches and Japan quarter final run only to lose to Sweden 2–1.^[12][13][14] In May 2017, he was in the squad of the Japan U-20 national team for the 2017 U-20 World Cup. At this tournament, he played three matches.

On 24 May 2019, Miyoshi was called up by Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu to feature in the Copa América played in Brazil.^[15] He made his debut on 17 June 2019 in the game against Chile, as a 66th-minute substitute for Daizen Maeda.^[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2025^[17][18]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Kawasaki Frontale	2015	J1 League	3	0	0	0	2	0	—		—		5	0
	2016		15	4	5	0	6	0	—		1[c]	0	27	4
	2017		13	1	1	0	2	2	4[d]	0	0	0	20	3
	Total		31	5	6	0	10	2	4	0	1	0	52	7
Consadole Sapporo (loan)	2018	J1 League	26	3	2	1	0	0	—		—		28	4
Yokohama F. Marinos (loan)	2019	J1 League	19	3	4	0	0	0	—		—		23	3
Royal Antwerp	2019–20[19]	Belgian Pro League	14	1	1	2	—		—		—		15	3
	2020–21[19]		23	3	1	0	—		8[e]	0	—		32	3
	2021–22[19]		25	1	0	0	—		5[e]	2	—		30	3
	2022–23[19]		10	1	0	0	—		5[f]	0	—		15	1
	Total		72	6	2	2	—		18	2	—		92	10
Birmingham City	2023–24[20]	Championship	43	6	3	1	2	0	—		—		48	7
	2024–25[21]	League One	3	0	0	0	1	0	—		0	0	4	0
	Total		46	6	3	1	3	0	—		0	0	52	7
VfL Bochum	2024–25[19]	Bundesliga	15	1	0	0	—		—		—		15	1
Career total			209	24	17	4	13	2	22	2	1	0	262	32

1. Includes Emperor's Cup, Belgian Cup, FA Cup
2. Includes J.League Cup, EFL Cup
3. Appearance in Japanese Super Cup
4. Appearances in AFC Champions League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
6. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[22]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Japan	2019	3	2
	2020	2	0
Total		5	2

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Miyoshi goal.^[22]

List of international goals scored by Koji Miyoshi

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	20 June 2019	Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	Uruguay	1–0	2–2	2019 Copa América
2				2–1

Honours

Kawasaki Frontale

• J1 League: 2017

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

• J1 League: 2019

Royal Antwerp

• Belgian Pro League: 2022–23
• Belgian Cup: 2019–20,^[23] 2022–23^[24]

Japan U-19

• AFC U-19 Championship: 2016