Born in Japan on 6th September 1985, Koki Mizuno is a footballer who, standing at 5ft 8in (1.73m) and weighing 9st 10lb (62kg), played as a right attacking midfielder throughout his career.
Mizuno began his professional journey with JEF United Chiba in the J2 League in Japan in February 2004. His debut season in 2004 saw him making seven appearances for the first team and netting one goal. As he furthered his time with Chiba, Mizuno's match involvement grew, with him making 25 appearances in the 2005 season and the same amount in 2006. His best season at JEF United Chiba was in 2007, where he made 29 appearances and scored a respectable nine goals, demonstrating his growing prowess in the midfield role.
A significant turning point in Mizuno's career came in January 2008, when he transferred from his native Japan to Scotland, signing with Premiership powerhouse Celtic. Mizuno's involvement in Celtic's first-team games was mixed in the 2008-2009 season, making appearances ten times and scoring one goal. The following 2009-2010 season was less successful, as Mizuno only managed to make one appearance. Despite the ups and downs, his time playing Scottish football at Celtic is an important part of his career story.
After Celtic, in June 2010, Kashiwa Reysol in the J1 League welcomed Mizuno back to Japanese soil. Here, his involvement varied across three seasons with ten, one, and fourteen first appearances in 2010, 2011, and 2012 respectively.
January 2013 saw another transfer for Mizuno, this time to Ventforet Kofu. Here Mizuno offered a steady hand in the midfield, making 19 appearances in the first season and eleven in the following, even managing to score in his last season.
2015 saw a return for Mizuno to his first club, JEF United Chiba, where he made 19 appearances and scored a single goal. Following this stint, Mizuno moved to Vegalta Sendai in January 2016, and then to Sagan Tosu in January 2017 where in the same year he managed to score once in nine first-team appearances.
In July 2018, he was loaned to Roasso Kumamoto in the J2 League but it seems he's been unattached from December 2020 onwards. Thus, the journey of Koki Mizuno, from the J2 League in Japan to the Scottish Premiership and back, is seen to be one marked by regular movement, a hunger for game time and a steady presence in midfield roles.
