In recent years, Asian football has made great strides to close the gap with other football areas. We have seen so many surprising results from Asian representatives; those small, yellow-skinned people have been delighting the hearts of countless football fans. In today’s article, we will review some of the most prominent names of all time in the region.
Son Heung Min
If you come from Vietnam or any Asian countries, you can easily see that the name of Son Heung Min popped up on most news websites about bóng đá châu Á (Asian football). This shows how popular he is in Vietnam, in particular, and in Asia, in general.
In the 2023/24 season, Son Heung Min scored 17 goals for Tottenham in all competitions. This was also the season Spurs gave the Korean striker the captain’s armband. He reached the milestone of 150 goals for Tottenham in September 2023.
The star has been awarded the AFC Player of the Year four times. Previously, he was honored in 2015, 2017 and 2019. In addition, he was also voted the best Asian player of the year by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) three times (2020, 2021 and 2022).
Cha Bum-kun
Cha Bum-kun’s career blossomed when he signed a long-term contract with Frankfurt. Almost immediately, Cha Bum-kun became Frankfurt’s irreplaceable striker. After his first season in the Bundesliga, he was voted by Kicker as one of the three best strikers in the league, on par with two European superstars at that time, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Kevin Keegan.
His reputation resounded in Europe when he dominated with Frankfurt in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup, with the image of a muscular striker with unstoppable power and possessing thunderous shots. It was in that season that Cha overcame Sir Alex’s Aberdeen in the first round and then helped Frankfurt win the UEFA Cup for the very first time.
Park Ji Sung
Park Ji-sung moved to Man United in 2005 from PSV Eindhoven and quickly became one of the most successful Asian players in the Premier League. Having been part of the English football giant, the Korean midfielder was a regular starter under coach Sir Alex Ferguson and contributed many important goals.
In 7 seasons playing for Man United, this midfielder won many titles with the Red Devils, including 4 Premier League titles, 1 English League Cup, 1 Champions League, and 1 Club World Cup.
Ali Daei
In the history of football, only three players have surpassed the milestone of scoring 100 goals for the national team: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and former player Ali Daei.
Asian football legend Ali Daei is the first player in the world to surpass 100 goals for the national team, scoring 109 goals in 148 appearances for the Iranian national team from 1993 to 2006.
At the peak of his career, Ali Daei played for Bayern Munich and won the Bundesliga championship in 1998/1999. However, the goal-scoring record for the Iranian national team is the most outstanding achievement of the former striker born in 1969.
Shinji Kagawa
In 2010, Borussia Dortmund recruited Kagawa for a modest fee of 350,000 Euros. During his time in Germany, the Japanese player did not disappoint his home fans. He quickly integrated and became an important factor in Dortmund’s playing style.
With the impressive performances mentioned above, he was brought to Old Trafford by the Red Devils in the summer of 2012. Although he does not have an ideal body, Kagawa was agile and possesses top-notch technique.
Hidetoshi Nakata
Hidetoshi Nakata is known for his enthusiasm and dedication to his playing style. He is an intelligent player with good passing and long-range shooting skills. As the Japanese national team captain for many years, he played 77 matches for the national team, scoring 11 goals.
In 2004, Nakata officially became the football ambassador of Japan, and in the same year, he was included in Pele’s list of the 100 greatest living players. One year later, Italy awarded Nakata its highest honor for his contributions to the country.
During his playing days, Nakata always kept in mind one thing: Everything he did was to improve the image of Japan in the eyes of the world.
