Top 5 Asian Football Players

Players from South America and Europe have always dominated the world of football. The legends, like Diego Maradona, Pele, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, and modern-day greats like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kevin De Bryne, and many more, are all from South America and Europe. Their popularity is next to none; from millions of followers on Instagram to thousands of people in stadiums, people always want to see them.

European and South American legends and current players have always been popular in world football. They have a fan following, even among Asian football players. Asian footballers have always been in the shadow of European and South American beasts. Throughout history, to today’s date, there have been a few footballers from Asia who are very famous and equally popular throughout the world.

Here are the top 5 Asian football players from past and present who, with their outstanding performances and gameplay, won the hearts of many fans worldwide.

1) Ali Daei (1969–)

Born on March 21, 1969, this Iranian beast scored hefty goals for the national team. During his time, he played as a striker and captained the Iranian national team from 2000 to 2006. He also played in the German Bundesliga, being part of clubs like Bayern Munich, Arminia Bielefeld, and Hertha Berlin. Ali was a tall striker with the knack of scoring a lot of goals and is regarded as the greatest Iranian footballer and one of the great Asian football players.

He started his football career at his hometown club, Esteghlal Arbadil, at the age of 19. Then he shifted to Texirani FC, where he stayed for a single season. Afterward, he joined Tehran-based club Bank Tejarat, where he scored 49 goals in 75 games during his four-year stay. After four seasons at Bank Tejarat, he shifted to All Sadd in the 1996–1997 season before heading for Europe.

His European career began with Arminia Bielefeld. He stayed in Bielefeld for a single season, in which he scored 7 goals in 25 games. Then came his big move to German giant Bayern Munich, where he stayed for a single season, scoring 6 goals in 23 games. After a not-so-great performance at Bayern Munich, he shifted to another German side, Hertha Berlin. He stayed in Hertha for 2 seasons, from 1999 to 2002, where he scored 6 goals in 59 games. His European career came to an end and he returned to Asian side Al Shabab.

He spent two years at Al Shabab, scoring 23 goals. He won the Hazfi Cup and participated in the Asian Champions League. His last club was Tehran Saipa, where he stayed for one year. Ali, from the national team of Iran, was a different beast. He made his debut in 1993 and announced his retirement in 2006. In that period, he scored 108 goals in 148 games. He set the record for scoring the most goals for the national side, which Cristiano Ronaldo broke in 2021.

His most amazing feats are:

• He is the first player to score 100 goals in international football.
• He is the first Asian football player to feature in the UEFA Champions League.
• He is still the all-time highest scorer from Asia.
• He is still the second-highest scorer for the national team worldwide.

2) Park Ji-Sung (1981-)

Park Ji-Sung is a Korean footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded as one of the best among Asian football players. He is very famous among Manchester United fans. Born on February 25, 1981, Park started his youth career at Myonji University before moving to the Japanese side of Kyoto Purple Sanga.

In 2003, he shifted to the European side PSV Eindhoven, where he stayed for 2 seasons. When PSV reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals in 2004–05, his talent became renowned throughout Europe. In 2005, he signed for Manchester United for around 4 million pounds. During his stay at Manchester United, he won many trophies, such as the Premier League 4 times and the UEFA Champions League in 2007–08. He appeared in 134 games, in which he scored 19 goals.

In 2012, he transferred to the Queens Park Rangers, where he stayed for 2 seasons. He played 20 games and didn’t score any goals. After that, his club football career came to an end with PSV Eindhoven.

He made his national team debut in 2000 and retired in 2011. During his time, he played 100 games for the national side of Korea and scored 13 goals. Before making his debut on the national team, he played for the South Korean U20 and U23 teams. On the national side, Park played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup semifinals.

His most amazing feats are:

• He is the first Asian to captain Manchester United.
• He is the first Asian to win the UEFA Champions League.
• His extraordinary stamina earned him the moniker “Three-Lung” Park.

3) Son Heung-min (1992-)

Born on July 8, 1992, Son plays as a winger for the English club Tottenham Hotspurs and the South Korean national team. Son is regarded as the greatest Asian footballer due to his speed, finishing, two-footedness, and link-up ability. His early career started with Hamburger SV at the age of 16. In 2013, he moved to Bayern Leverkusen, and afterward, he moved to Tottenham in 2015.

His transfer to Tottenham made him the most expensive Asian footballer, at 22 million pounds. He is still playing for the Spurs, scoring 120 goals in 303 appearances. He has become the all-time highest Asian goal scorer in the Premier League. During the 2018–19 season, he played in the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool but couldn’t win. Son was selected for the PFA team of the year in the 2020–21 season. His most exceptional season came in the season of 2021–22, in which he scored 23 goals and became joint top scorer of the season with Mohammad Salah.

Son is equally influential with the national team. His debut for the national team was during the AFC Asian Cup of 2011. In the 2015 Asian Cup, Korea became runner-up, losing the final to Australia. During the Asian Games of 2018, Son led the Korean side to win a gold medal, defeating Japan. From his debut to today’s date, Son has scored 46 goals in 125 appearances. Due to his extraordinary abilities, Son is regarded as one of the best Asian football players.

His most amazing feats are:

• He is the first Asian to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
• He is the all-time top Asian goal-scorer in the Premier League.
• He is the most expensive Asian footballer in the Premier League.

4) Shinji Kagawa (1989–)

Shinji Kagawa is a Japanese football player born on March 17, 1989. Shinji was a creative midfielder and is often regarded as one of the best Asian football players. Shinji began his youth career in Cerezo, Osaka, before joining German side Borussia Dortmund in 2010.

Shinji played 49 games and scored 21 goals during his two-season stay in 2010–12. Then he went to Manchester United, where he stayed for another two seasons. He only featured in 38 games while scoring 6 goals for Manchester United. In 2014, he returned to Dortmund, where he stayed until 2019. During this period, he scored 20 goals in 99 appearances. He transferred to Spanish side Real Zaragoza in 2019 and stayed for another two seasons. He again made the move to the Greek side at PAOK in 2021. He is currently in Cerezo, Osaka, after making the transfer from Dutch side Sint-Truidense V.V.

Shinji made his international debut in 2008 against Ivory Coast. In 2019, Shinji announced his retirement from the national team of Japan. For the Japanese national team, he played 97 games and scored 31 goals.

His most amazing feats are:

• He won the Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2012.
• He won back-to-back Bundesliga titles from Borussia Dortmund.
• He is the first Asian to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.

5) Sunil Chhetri (1984–)

Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is known for his extraordinary goal-scoring ability and link-up play. Due to his high number of national goals, his name is always mentioned among the best Asian football players.

Chhetri started his career at Mohun Bagan in 2002. He spent most of his career with Indian clubs such as JCT, East Bengal, Dempo, Chirag United, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers, Bengaluru, and Mumbai City. His only foreign clubs are Kansas City, where he joined in 2010 but never played any games, and Sporting CP B, where he joined in 2012 and stayed for a single season, appearing in three games.

Chhetri made his international debut in 2005, playing against Pakistan. From the national side, Chhetri has scored a very high number of goals, rivaling the numbers of players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Chhetri played 150 games for the Indian national team, scoring 94 goals. Chhetri has won tournaments like SAFF Championship, Nehru Cup, AFC Challenge Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and Tri-Nation series.

His most amazing feats are:

• He is the first Indian to play on three different continents.
• He has scored the most international goals by any Indian.
• He is the top Scorer in the SAFF Championship.

Some Honorable Mentions

These five are considered among the best Asian football players. Other great Asian football players could easily appear on the list. Some of the other great Asian football players are:

• Cha Bum-Kun (South Korea)
• Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)
• Kazuyoshi Miura (Japan)
• Ali Karimi (Iran)

Emerging Players

Asia has produced some great football players in the past and is still producing some impressive young ones. Many young prospects can be the best Asian football players. Some of them are still in youth academy, while others have already started playing in some of the best leagues in the world. Here is a list of some of the best young Asian footballers.

• Takefusa Kubo (Japan)
• Lee Kang-in (South Korea)
• Kwon Chang Hoon (South Korea)
• Kim Min Jae (South Korea)
• Karou Mitoma (Japan)
• Akram Afif (Qatar)
• Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Iran)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Asian football continuously gives some impressive gems to the football world. The above-mentioned top 5 Asian football players exemplify the skill, dedication, and versatility that define the best of Asian football. Their achievements in both domestic and international football have given recognition to Asian football and encouraged young emerging ones.

All these athletes have and continue to break records and set some new ones, inspiring fans worldwide. For fans and aspiring players alike, these top Asian football players serve as a testament to what can be achieved with talent, hard work, and determination.

Keep an eye on these stars and many other rising talents across the continent as they continue to shape the landscape of global football. The era of Asian football players significantly impacting the world’s most popular sport is truly upon us.

Do you want to learn some more interesting things about football? If yes, Read about the best midfielders in the world ever.