While football is often stereotyped as a South American and European game, we have, over the last few years, seen the impressive penetration of Asian footballers into the world’s grandest football stages.
Many Asian footballers have built a glowing reputation in top football leagues like the Premier League and La Liga.
Indeed, when some of the biggest club heavyweights play, we see top bookmakers like Betway (check out an extensive review of the Betway app download) provide fantastic odds on Asian footballers to score and conjure magical moments in the fixtures.
But then you may wonder. Who are the most successful Asian footballers of all time?
This is what this article discusses.
Park Ji-sung
Pic: Wikipedia
One of the greatest Asian players of all time is Park Ji-sung, a retired South Korean football player. He is the first Asian player to win the UEFA Champions League and to advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals.
He is well known for his time spent with Manchester United in the English Premier League, where he won four Premier League championships, three League Cups, and one UEFA Champions League championship.
Park began his professional career with Kyoto Purple Sanga in Japan’s J1 League. Later on, he moved to the Dutch Eredivisie, where in 2003, he started playing for PSV Eindhoven.
He became a vital member of the squad very fast, helping them win the Eredivisie championship in 2003 and get to the UEFA Champions League semifinals in 2005.
He joined Manchester United in 2005, where he played for seven seasons and won fans over with his dedication to the team and versatility on the field.
Park had a great international career with the South Korean national team in addition to his club success. He was an important part of the squad that advanced to the semifinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the first Asian team to do so.
Ali Daei
Pic: Wikipedia
One of the finest players in Iranian football history, Ali Daei is a retired professional soccer player and coach from Iran.
He scored 109 goals in 149 games for the Iranian national team, becoming the all-time best scorer in international games until September 2021, when his record was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo.
On March 21, 1969, Daei was born in Ardabil, Iran. He played as a striker for Tehran’s Persepolis Football Club to start his professional career. Later, he played for a number of other teams, notably Bayern Munich, displaying his ability to score goals everywhere he went.
Daei had a very successful career with the Iranian national team in addition to his club career. He made his team debut in 1993 and went on to make 149 appearances while scoring an amazing 109 goals. He played a significant role in the team’s qualification for the 1998 and 2006 World Cups.
Daei has received many honors and trophies throughout the course of his career, including the Asian Footballer of the Year Award in 1999. He is acknowledged as one of the finest soccer players in Iranian history and is revered as a national hero.
Hitedoshi Nakata
Pic: Wikipedia
Nakata was born on January 22, 1977, in Yamanashi, Japan, and started his senior career with Bellmare Hiratsuka of Japan in 1995.
Nakata rapidly established himself as a gifted and inventive midfielder, becoming known as one of Japan’s top young players. He spent four seasons playing for Bellmare Hiratsuka before switching to the Italian team Perugia in 1998.
Before making a loan transfer to Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League in 2005, he played for a number of other Italian clubs, including AS Roma and Parma.
Nakata received various awards during the course of his career. He won the Italian Serie A championship with AS Roma in 2001 and the Copa Italia with Parma in 2002.
He participated in three World Cups while playing for the Japanese national team. Additionally, he received Baloon d’Or nominations in 1998, 1999, and 2001.
Shinji Kagawa
Pic: Wikipedia
Shinji Kagawa is a professional football player from Japan who represents both the Japan national team and Sint Truden in Belgium as an attacking midfielder.
He is renowned for his technical proficiency, dribbling prowess, and pitch vision.
Prior to joining Borussia Dortmund in 2010, Kagawa began his professional career with Cerezo Osaka in the J. League of Japan.
He won two Bundesliga championships and advanced to the UEFA Champions League championship game while playing for Dortmund.
Kagawa joined Manchester United in 2013, spending two seasons there before moving back to Borussia Dortmund in 2015.
With the Japan national team, Kagawa has also enjoyed a successful career. He competed for Japan at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He has over 97 caps for the national team and is one of Japan’s all-time leading goal-scorers.
Son Heung-Min
Pic: Wikipedia
Son Heung-min is a South Korean professional football player who plies his trade for Tottenham and the South Korean national team as a forward. He is well-known for his dribbles, speed, and goal-scoring proficiency.
His professional career was launched with Hamburger SV, followed by moves to Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham Hotspur. Son has won three Premier League Player of the Month awards while playing for Tottenham and has advanced to both the Champions League and EFL Cup finals.
In addition, his outstanding solo goal against Burnley in a premier league game earned him the Puskas award in 2020.
Son has played for South Korea at both the World Cup and the Asian Cup, and he has over 30 goals to his credit for the team.
He was selected for the 2015, 2017, and 2019 Asian International Footballer of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Conclusion
Asian football has really developed over time, churning out several high-class players. The ones listed above are just a few of the best that Asia has given the world.
We are sure that in the coming years, Asia will dazzle the footballing world with great talented players
Cover Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash
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