FOUR OF THE BEST ASIAN FOOTBALLERS IN EUROPE

THE 2010s really saw Asian footballers start to take the football world by storm. After decades of failing to wow mainstream football audiences with the exception of Manchester United legend Park Ji Sung, Keisuke Honda of Japan made a name for himself in the 2010 World Cup, impressing with his free kicks.

Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min has since established himself as one of the best Premier League attackers since joining the club in 2015 and is on his way to becoming a club legend. There are bound to be more world class Asian footballers emerging in this decade.

The following are five of the best in Europe at the moment:

1. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)

Son easily walks into the starting line-ups of nearly every team in world football and at age 28, some would argue that he should leave Spurs at this stage of his career if he is to achieve the trophy recognition that he fully deserves.

Among the characteristics that made Son stand out among his competitors are his effortless ability to control the ball and his technical strengths, including ability to find space and shoot.

Son is widely regarded as being one of the best wingers in the world and it will be a pity if he ends his career without winning a major trophy.

2. Takefusa Kubo (Getafe)

The 19-year-old is nicknamed the “Japanese Messi” for a reason and spent four years in Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy before returning to his homeland with FC Tokyo.

Known for his passing skills, passing accuracy, and long shots, it would not be long until Kubo returned to Europe and Real Madrid acquired him in 2019. He is currently on the books of Getafe on loan from Madrid. Though he has yet to shine at the highest level, he has plenty of time in his favour.

3. Takumi Minamino (Southampton)

After impressing with his pace, Minamino earned a move from Red Bull Salzburg to Liverpool in January 2020. Due to the attacking talent in the Liverpool first team, Minamino found action hard to come by in his first season at Anfield, though he scored four goals in all competitions.

He moved on loan to Southampton in the January transfer window and is now in an environment where he can truly express himself and get regular action. Minamino has scored two league goals for the Saints and will need to impress if he sees his long-term future with Liverpool.

4. Lee Kang-in (Valencia)

The 20-year-old South Korean attacking midfielder is an interesting player to keep an eye on. He joined Valencia as a youth player in 2011 and has since gone on to become a first team regular for his boyhood club, even helping them win the 2018-19 Copa del Rey by beating Barcelona in the final.

He was the winner of the Golden Ball award in the 2019 Fifa U-20 World Cup where South Korea finished as runners-up, losing to Ukraine in the final.

Kang-in has drawn comparisons to Manchester City legend David Silva due to his tactical awareness.